Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1970 – April 20, 2016) was an American former professional wrestler, actress, bodybuilder, and pornographic film actress. Laurer first rose to prominence in the professional wrestling promotion the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1997, where she performed under the ring name Chyna and was billed as the "Ninth Wonder of the World" (André the Giant was already billed as the eighth). A founding member of the stable D-Generation X, she held the WWF Intercontinental Championship (the only female performer to do so) twice and the WWF Women's Championship once. She was also the first woman to participate in the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring events, as well as to become number one contender to the WWF Championship. With singles victories over several prominent male wrestlers – including multiple-time world champions Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and Jeff Jarrett – Chyna has left "a lasting legacy as the most dominant female competitor of all time". After leaving the WWF in 2001, Chyna wrestled sporadically, most notably with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2002 and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2011. Outside of wrestling, Laurer appeared in Playboy magazine twice, as well as numerous television shows and films. In 2005, Laurer was a cast member on VH1's The Surreal Life, which led to several other celebrity reality appearances on the network, including The Surreal Life: Fame Games in 2007 and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2008. She is also known for her tumultuous relationship with fellow wrestler Sean Waltman, with whom she made a sex tape released commercially in 2004 as 1 Night in China. She starred in a further five pornographic titles, and was a two-time AVN Award winner. Joan Marie Laurer was born in Rochester, New York, to parents Janet and Joe Laurer. After her parents divorced when she was approximately four years old, Laurer had three different stepfathers and one stepmother. From 1973 to 1983, Joanie Laurer, her siblings, and her mom moved several times. As a child, Laurer learned to play both the violin and cello. She finished her last year of high school in Spain and attended the University of Tampa, graduating in 1992 with a major in Spanish Literature. During college, she also studied French and German and was a member of the ROTC. She joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to Guatemala. After returning from abroad, she held several different jobs: a cocktail waitress in a strip club, singer in a band, and a 900-number chat line worker. In her mid-to-late 20s, while living in the Florida Keys, Laurer took a six-week class to train to be a flight attendant. On the way to her first flight, however, she was in a car accident and spent four days in the hospital. After recovering from the accident, Laurer's sister Kathy helped her get a job selling beepers, and both women also worked as belly dancers. After college, Laurer began to regularly enter fitness competitions. In 1996, Laurer competed in the New York City regional level of the Fitness America competition. Joanie Laurer trained at Wladek "Killer" Kowalski's professional wrestling school in Malden, Massachusetts. Her first match was in 1995 against a male wrestler dressed as a woman. While attending the school, she also worked for various independent promotions as Joanie Lee. Laurer made her WWF debut on February 16, 1997 at In Your House 13: Final Four; her character emerged as a plant from a ringside seat, choking Marlena while Goldust was in the ring with Triple H. Her original role in the promotion was as the laconic enforcer/bodyguard for Triple H and later, D-Generation X. In January 1999, Chyna was the thirtieth entrant in the Royal Rumble, becoming the first woman ever to enter the contest. In June 1999, Chyna became the first woman to qualify for the King of the Ring tournament. She was also the first female to be the number one contender for the WWF Championship, defeating Jeff Jarrett for the title at No Mercy in his last WWF match. Laurer would later win the Women's Championship from Ivory at WrestleMania X-Seven in a squash match. She left the WWF on November 30, 2001, and later in a 2015 interview with Vince Russo, stated that after a meeting with Vince McMahon, she was sent home and was later sent a fax telling her that she was not needed anymore. Laurer made her porn debut with the 2004 video 1 Night in China. In 2001, Laurer released her autobiography entitled If They Only Knew. It spent time on The New York Times' bestseller list. From 1996 until 2000, Laurer dated fellow wrestler Paul "Triple H" Levesque. On April 20, 2016, Laurer was found dead at her home in Redondo Beach, California. She had been taking medication for anxiety and sleep deprivation. She was 45.

• published: 21 Apr 2016
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