Chyna

Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 - c. April 20, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, actor, glamour model, bodybuilder and pornographic film actor.

Laurer first rose to prominence in the professional wrestling promotion the World Wrestling Federation 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 Championshiponce. 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, with New Japan Pro Wrestlingin 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, which won a 2006 AVN Award for Best-Selling Title. She starred in a further five pornographic titles, including AVN's 2012 Best Celebrity Sex Tape, Backdoor to China.

• *** Obituary ****

Joan Laurer, aka Chyna, the former professional wrestler and reality TV personality, died Wednesday, according to her personal account on Twitter.

"It is with deep sadness to inform you today that we lost a true icon, a real life superhero, Joanie Lauer aka Chyna, the 9th wonder of the world has passed away," the tweet on her page states.

Laurer was found dead in Redondo Beach, California, according to multiple news sources, including The Associated Press. The cause of death was not immediately available.

Laurer was born Dec. 27, 1970, in Rochester, New York. She graduated from the University of Tampa in Florida before launching her wrestling career.

Laurer starred in the World Wrestling Federation in 1997, taking the ring name Chyna and promoting herself as the Ninth Wonder of the World. Andre Roussimoff, another professional wrestler known as Andre the Giant, had been billed the Eighth Wonder of the World. She performed in WWF – also known as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE – until 2001, wrestling sporadically in two other venues.

In 2005, Laurer turned to reality television. She became a member of the cast of VH1's "The Surreal Life." She followed up with the program's 2007 sequel, "The Surreal Life: Fame Games," and a different reality TV show, "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew," the following year. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=chyna-...