Chyna, the WWE star who became one of the best-known and most-popular female professional wrestlers in history, has died at age 45.
Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Larry Dietz says Chyna, whose real name is Joan Marie Laurer, was found dead in Redondo Beach on Wednesday.
JUST IN: Police in Southern California investigating the death of former pro wrestler Chyna. https://t.co/FzeQ5R2C16 pic.twitter.com/mWc6lBXn1c
— ABC News (@ABC) April 21, 2016
The tall, muscle-bound, raven-haired Chyna billed herself as the "9th Wonder of the World" because her wrestling predecessor Andre the Giant had already called himself the eighth.
Rising to prominence in the late 1990s, she was a member of the wrestling squad that dubbed itself "D-Generation X," often wrestled against men and at one point was the WWE women's champion.
WWE posted a statement about Chyna's death, which read in part, "A physically striking and talented performer, Chyna was a true sports-entertainment pioneer."
