WWE Legend and Reality Star Chyna Found Dead at 46

A statement on the former WWE champion's Twitter feed confirmed her death.

Former WWE women's champion and reality TV star Chyna — whose real name was Joan Marie Laurer — has died. She was 46.

Her management team confirmed the news with a statement on Chyna's official Twitter account. "It is with deep sadness to inform you today that we lost a true icon, a real-life superhero," it read. "She will live forever in the memories of her millions of fans and all of us that loved her."

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.

A friend had gone Wednesday to check on Chyna after she had failed to answer her phone for a few days, Redondo Beach police said in a statement. The friend told the 911 operator that Chyna wasn't breathing.

Chyna was dead when officers arrived, police said.

Neither police nor coroner's officials have released any cause of death. An autopsy was planned in the next few days.

After early success in the WWE, partnering up with Triple H, Chyna went on to become a multiple women's champion. She also wrestled in the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling promotions. Chyna became a fan favorite for her willingness to mix in with the male wrestlers.

Chyna left the WWE in 2001, and her life outside the ring included modeling and bodybuilding. In 2004, she made a sex tape with her boyfriend at the time, fellow wrestler Sean Waltman, titled 1 Night in China, which led to a brief career as a pornographic actress. Chyna's notoriety resulted in several stints on reality shows such as VH1's The Surreal Life and Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew.