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Chyna, 1990s WWE wrestling star, dies in California at 46

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Days before she found dead, former WWE star Chyna posted an online video in which she appears disjointed as she wanders around her apartment.

Police discovered the body of Chyna, whose real name was Joan Marie Laurer, at the home in Redondo Beach, California, on Wednesday. She was 46.

In the 13-minute YouTube video posted Sunday, Chyna wears headphones and a feather in her hair. She narrates as she makes and drinks a breakfast smoothie, trailing off and occasionally singing into the camera. At one point, while surveying the view from her seaside apartment, she asks, “How lucky am I?”

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A coroner’s official says police initially reported her death as a “possible overdose.”

Police in Southern California said they were responding to a 911 call from a friend of the former World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler when they found her dead in her Redondo Beach apartment.

The friend had gone Wednesday to check on Laurer after she had failed to answer her phone for a few days, Redondo Beach police said in a statement.

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“She was truly a pioneer in our industry, and she will be missed,” tweeted Stephanie McMahon, an owner and executive with WWE.

Laurer was “someone who wasn’t afraid to blaze her own trail and create a path for those who would follow,” wrestler Triple H said on Twitter. “A pioneer whose star shined bright. #RIPChyna.”

Chyna arrives for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

Chyna arrives for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

(Tina Fineberg / AP)
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Neither police nor coroner’s officials have released any cause of death, but investigators said there were no indications of foul play. An autopsy was planned in the next few days.

Laurer billed herself as the “9th Wonder of the World” because her wrestling predecessor Andre the Giant had already called himself the eighth.

She was a member of the wrestling squad that dubbed itself “D-Generation X,” was often pitted against men and at one point was the WWE women’s champion.

After leaving the WWE in 2001, Laurer was determined to stay active in the entertainment industry. She wrote an autobiography, became a semi-regular on Howard Stern’s radio show and appeared in TV sitcoms like “3rd Rock From the Sun” and reality shows including “The Surreal Life.” She posed for Playboy and appeared in adult films.

Laurer later came clean about her struggles with drugs on “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”

A statement posted Wednesday night on her website reads, “Today we lost a true icon, a real life superhero. Joanie Laurer aka Chyna, the 9th Wonder of the World has passed away. She will live forever in the memories of her millions of fans and all of us that loved her.”

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Laurer was a native of Rochester, New York, and graduated from the University of Tampa in Florida before taking up wrestling.

She joins a long list of WWE professional wrestlers who have died relatively young, including Rick Rude, Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig, the Ultimate Warrior and Owen Hart.

Associated Press

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