--- description: "We lost a true icon, a real life superhero" title: WWE Star Joanie 'Chyna' Laurer Dead at 45 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9fb3dfdbc138653/6988902e0a4a226a0c9c95bd/gettyimages-494021164.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # WWE Star Joanie 'Chyna' Laurer Dead at 45 by [Naja Rayne / People](/author/people/) ## Naja Rayne / People Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 21, 2016 6:53 AM CUT by [Naja Rayne / People](/author/people/) ## Naja Rayne / People Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 21, 2016 6:53 AM CUT Former WWE star Joanie “Chyna” Laurer has died. She was 45. Laurer’s team confirmed the news in a written statement shared on her [website](http://therealchyna.com/chyna/ "undefined") and Twitter on Wednesday. “It is with deep sadness to inform you today that we lost a true icon, a real life superhero,” the statement read. “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.” During her wrestling career, Laurer famously partnered with wrestler Triple H, becoming an original member of Degeneration X. After her time as a wrestler she posed for _Playboy_ before doing a brief stint in reality television on _The Surreal Life_. > [](https://twitter.com/ChynaJoanLaurer/status/723002666834497536) > [](https://twitter.com/Alyssa%5FMilano/status/723012212067958784) > [](https://twitter.com/JRsBBQ/status/723013724064227328) > [](https://twitter.com/NickJacksonYB/status/723008097531260928) > [](https://twitter.com/FrankieKazarian/status/723009522218848256) Although the statement did not include Laurer’s cause of death, her manager [reportedly](http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/700481-update-chynas-manager-confirms-the-former-wwe-star-was-found-dead-in-her-home-more-details "undefined") told _Pro Wrestling Sheet_ that she was found in her Los Angeles home. As news of her death spread, fans and celebrities alike quickly took to Twitter to share their reactions and condolences. > [](https://twitter.com/ShaneHelmsCom/status/723015821333655554) > [](https://twitter.com/ShaneHelmsCom/status/723016006164041729) “Chyna. Rest in peace,” actress Alyssa Milano tweeted. Pro wrestler Gregory Helms tweeted his reaction to Laurer’s death, offering up a series of thoughtful messages. “All I can say is that Chyna was always incredibly kind to me. I never forgot that. Life can be rough even to the strongest among us,” he wrote. “Death always has a way of putting things into perspective. And that perspective, it seems, can be hard to swallow.” [_This article originally appeared on People.com_](http://www.people.com/article/joanie-chyna-laurer-dead-45 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4302886/wwe-joanie-chyna-laurer-obituary/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4302886/wwe-joanie-chyna-laurer-obituary/"},"headline":"WWE Star Joanie 'Chyna' Laurer Dead at 45","datePublished":"2016-04-21T06:53:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-24T06:57:07.561Z","description":"\"We lost a true icon, a real life superhero\"","url":"https://time.com/4302886/wwe-joanie-chyna-laurer-obituary/","keywords":["celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9fb3dfdbc138653/6988902e0a4a226a0c9c95bd/gettyimages-494021164.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Naja Rayne / People"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9fb3dfdbc138653/6988902e0a4a226a0c9c95bd/gettyimages-494021164.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-494021164","caption":"at Sheraton Parsippany Hotel on October 23, 2015 in Parsippany, New Jersey.","creditText":"Bobby Bank—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4302886/wwe-joanie-chyna-laurer-obituary/","name":"WWE Star Joanie 'Chyna' Laurer Dead at 45"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"This Video Is No Longer Available","description":"\"We lost a true icon, a real life superhero\"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fKodeUO6/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-06-23T15:00:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4302886/wwe-joanie-chyna-laurer-obituary/","duration":"PT10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4302886/wwe-joanie-chyna-laurer-obituary/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```