Joanie Laurer
![Joanie Laurer](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/ffufzh381EEZS8o9c37UgK7X5B2.jpg)
Known For: Acting
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: December 27, 1969
Day of Death: April 20, 2016 (46 years old)
Place of Birth: Rochester, New York, USA
Joan Marie Laurer was a former American professional wrestler, actress, bodybuilder and pornographic film actress who was under contract to Vivid Entertainment. Chyna first rose to prominence upon debuting in the professional wrestling promotion WWE 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 member of the stable D-Generation X, she held the WWE Intercontinental Championship (the first female wrestler to do so) and WWE Women's Championship, and was the first female wrestler to participate in the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring events. Since leaving the WWE in 2001, Chyna had wrestled sporadically, most notably with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2002 and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2011. Laurer had a strained relationship with her family. She last saw her mother at the age of sixteen, and she claimed that her father never got over her decision not to join the FBI. She also alleged that her father took out several student loans in her name and without her knowledge, leaving her with $40,000 in debt. On an episode of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2008, Laurer claimed to have a bad relationship with all of her family members, including her siblings. In September 2010, Laurer was hospitalized after overdosing on sleeping medication. As of February 2015, Laurer had reestablished a good relationship with her mother; her father died in May 2014. Laurer taught English in Japan. On February 9, 2015, during a WWE Network podcast with Steve Austin, Triple H mentioned that Chyna deserved to be in the WWE Hall of Fame but that problems with children Googling her prohibited it. After being in contact with Vince Russo she claimed in an interview that Triple H had hit her, which he later called a false statement. Death 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. An official statement was posted to her Twitter account, saying "It is with deep sadness to inform you today that we lost a true icon, a real life superhero ... She will live forever in the memories of her millions of fans and all of us that loved her."
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2000
![WWE Royal Rumble 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/tTjKnnIVd0zfC5lXeev05qpV0Sb.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Royal Rumble 2000
![WWF Fully Loaded 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/1TuQquOB9dQyxAPYq4R838eK2GW.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWF Fully Loaded 2000
![WWE Survivor Series 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/uMVNxN96JIJ1EI7LeEphaoWapek.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Survivor Series 2000
![WWE No Mercy 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/dwNvlfV4aByylt93QGFuSCReMwE.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE No Mercy 2000
![WWE SummerSlam 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/9yOYbLiHlX9wcCkCp4Dgsve6OFg.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE SummerSlam 2000
![WWF: The Rock - The People's Champ](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/irVp1yN7UapuALTmFw1nogUPfmR.jpg)
Actor Herself
WWF: The Rock - The People's Champ
![WWE No Way Out 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/21eBC7HvZLpQyhxlnKydVELlyY7.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE No Way Out 2000
![WWE Judgment Day 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/iWoVmcwsBaF9S2OBUvPPap6VCHf.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Valet)
WWE Judgment Day 2000
![WWE Armageddon 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/8mzYmB3f2MuPC7JRvQYV3P9aXpO.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Armageddon 2000
![WWE King of the Ring 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/6hzk1g1I2tsf83kGPlqHqMZk7J3.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE King of the Ring 2000
![WWE Unforgiven 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/dZUzVpBEz09pWVCPPtFep3L6MF4.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Unforgiven 2000
![WWE Insurrextion 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/ioVt25SsA8jgQa2xzPpsMa9Yxvy.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE Insurrextion 2000
![WWE Backlash 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/yjGVpoxfZmSSug57ZPNU8I9Kb4A.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Valet)
WWE Backlash 2000
![WWE Rebellion 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/tWoKS1fypy4aBkPpzdJR2bdsgwk.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Rebellion 2000
![Alien Fury: Countdown to Invasion](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/ar5mKcBoFXpwXwIKhoy9hPqHS8v.jpg)
Actor Ava Zurich
Alien Fury: Countdown to Invasion
![WWE WrestleMania 2000](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/az6kcIfVnPtTpexRusnwN8tl3dh.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE WrestleMania 2000
1999
![WWE Royal Rumble 1999](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/iXVQSwq7wjNNCDIk0BTr5cCSlUu.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Royal Rumble 1999
![WWE Fully Loaded 1999](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/9eW8T4du0AsZBpdwyPQRqd5Shnr.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Fully Loaded 1999
![WWE No Mercy (UK) 1999](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/662UNxbJO3sNGJT6hQJWENoxMLG.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE No Mercy (UK) 1999
![WWE Unforgiven 1999](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/cQKbqEuOHpMO0kgbiZOAG35pr2W.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Unforgiven 1999
![WWE St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/fTNp1to29jnizQdDzDMTfAJwmP0.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House
![WWE King of the Ring 1999](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/n0kAprpLAl0f3vZRWlkkL6q7uVs.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE King of the Ring 1999
![WWE Survivor Series 1999](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/zYZ25zkXUNxz7ZVKJw2UjzXEEvT.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Survivor Series 1999
![WWE No Mercy 1999](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/pIPBHcPO3prYnpbHbCLbyrfzcHe.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE No Mercy 1999
![WWE SummerSlam 1999](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/ve79euyHUCoWt4liIHFF7INxFnN.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE SummerSlam 1999
![WWE Backlash: In Your House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/IMokHYJ0l6zocKX6xZq4yYHxnf.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE Backlash: In Your House
![WWE Over the Edge](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/rhtX7PGulwIizYMzatsRwsJ8ziD.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Over the Edge
![WWE Rebellion 1999](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/ncRwuqNWdxMzf7pAfMMuV9ym1L5.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Rebellion 1999
![WWE WrestleMania XV](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/9ZGX0Yx2M4KKMGx3mgqL7Is0vOm.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE WrestleMania XV
Actor Chyna
WWF: It's Our Time
![WWE Armageddon 1999](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/ncjc6l0p9vHFx7VEGJdi77hcphM.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Armageddon 1999
![Come Get Some: The Women of the WWF](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/2VycTGZLc3hKWErkrjeIkLoeWLQ.jpg)
Actor Chyna
Come Get Some: The Women of the WWF
![Beyond the Mat](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/48AfKc79mpRcavpA5Hc7UW9Qqq6.jpg)
Actor Herself
Beyond the Mat
1998
![WWE Royal Rumble 1998](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/1iVdUoane1lOF61K0XA11T01wMe.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE Royal Rumble 1998
![WWE WrestleMania XIV](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/xEeNi4ELxOZJHsVGQKT2mXGlvKI.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE WrestleMania XIV
![WWE Judgment Day: In Your House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/hpRGwVjY0mNLTfOXhoXBA2MRe0F.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE Judgment Day: In Your House
![WWE Capital Carnage](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/mluTg0VmNCnFHRIM06nEaA0bdtP.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Capital Carnage
![WWE King of the Ring 1998](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/qLnypuLbzX7GXPAvIltrra5irdW.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE King of the Ring 1998
![WWE Fully Loaded: In Your House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/zjkyJ5yKcD0qcYNHMefvbm2x4zp.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE Fully Loaded: In Your House
![WWE SummerSlam 1998](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/tCAENzbg9ZCyfEIM9uanGhSrSPM.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE SummerSlam 1998
![WWE Over the Edge: In Your House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/y90T003ZxwmTVe1arF3lezs78h4.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE Over the Edge: In Your House
Actor Herself
WWF: The Rock - Know Your Role
![WWF: D-Generation X](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/7WvBe2dqTnqD23tTcYux9VexMSn.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWF: D-Generation X
![WWE No Way Out of Texas: In Your House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/Wsxaw2U1m6kNyFBtbrhY2zZEyx.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE No Way Out of Texas: In Your House
![WWE Mayhem in Manchester](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/xTEETBJ5FvnjgCxmPFggoUFS5sQ.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE Mayhem in Manchester
![WWE Unforgiven: In Your House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/eO98Z3rlZDAZgw3GswvK8awnv0o.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE Unforgiven: In Your House
1997
![WWE WrestleMania 13](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/jHsxH1NnpBIERhoFmY53n8ijTvu.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE WrestleMania 13
![WWE King of the Ring 1997](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/lukRkuFzefSvqCfhszLKsbdP3Gn.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE King of the Ring 1997
![WWE SummerSlam 1997](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/fsuEXeifK2kLqX9Xa0F122RMQ18.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE SummerSlam 1997
![WWE D-Generation X: In Your House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/wMyTWH4h77dPyKIoERs8vlKwvsF.jpg)
Actor Herself
WWE D-Generation X: In Your House
![WWE In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/pqguowZERI08se1h9sM1lelfjL5.jpg)
Actor Chyna (Ringside)
WWE In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell
![WWE In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/4EK0r8XGoSIBQkoXEp3vWtQ3Y2f.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede
![WWE Ground Zero: In Your House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/fa1OKTJBTX8StT8W5dvtuem0yAi.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Ground Zero: In Your House
![WWE One Night Only](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/vx5fHTLempbm0bg7VsBDaCVWHQF.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE One Night Only
![WWE Badd Blood: In Your House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/gS13u9VwJBPMtA7E8rqY9qa19GD.jpg)
Actor Chyna
WWE Badd Blood: In Your House
![Best Of Raw • Volume Six](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/q3vV7Z3Ry0qOqYQz6gwN4W2MlzZ.jpg)
Actor
Best Of Raw • Volume Six