WWE Wrestler Chyna Died of Possible Accidental Overdose: Manager

REDONDO BEACH, CA - WWE Wrestler Chyna died from an apparent accident overdose of her legally prescribed medication, her manager said Wednesday.

Chyna, whose real name was Joan Marie Laurer, died of an accidental overdose of Ambien and a form of Xanax, which the wrestler has legally prescribed and was taking over the course of a few weeks, her manager Anthony Anzaldo told the Los Angeles Times.

She was found dead at the age of 45 in her Redondo Beach apartment on April 20 after her manager found her unresponsive. She had apparently been dead for a few days. The Redondo Police Department initially reported the death as a possible overdose or from natural cause.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office announced Monday it is holding off on issuing the cause of death pending a toxicology report. The office has been criticized of late for being short staffed and the backlog of cases. It could take a few months until the report is ready.

Chyna rose to fame in the World Wrestling Federation, later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment, in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She was billed as the "Ninth Wonder of the World" -- Andre the Giant was the Eighth.

The Times reported that Chyna's brain will be examined by Dr. Bennet Omalu, an expert in chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. It's believed that repeated exposure to head injuries from professional athletes led to the brain disease.

It was not believed that CTE was the underlying cause of the wrestler's death.

According to her website, she got into fitness and wrestling to escape a difficult childhood.

-Photo via Wiki Commons