Chyna was a star in World Wrestling Entertainment beginning in the mid-1990s. She 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,” often wrestled against men and at one point was the WWE women’s champion.
Chyna was a native of Rochester, N.Y., 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.
After leaving the WWE in 2001, she posed for Playboy and appeared in adult films and on reality TV, including the shows “The Surreal Life” and “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”
“Devastated over Chyna’s passing,” wrote Hulk Hogan on Twitter. “Such a beautiful soul and so kind to my children.”
Christopher Meatto