Chyna was an American professional wrestler, who first made her career in the industry in 1997.
Billed as "Ninth Wonder of the World," she was the founding member of the stable D-Generation X, she was WWF (later, WWE) Intercontinental Championship. She was also the first woman to participate in the Royal Rumble match and King of the Ring tournament, in addition to becoming number one contender to the WWF Championship.
While she left the industry with "a lasting legacy as the most dominant female competitor of all time," the spotlight on her didn't stop there.
Most notably, she was considered a sex symbol, and later, also a pornographic actress.
This happened during her tumultuous relationship with fellow wrestler Sean Waltman, with whom she made a sex tape released commercially in 2004 as 1 Night in China.
She later made headlines, when she died due to drug overdose.
The former WWE star was found by her manager, Anthony Anzaldo, on April 20, lying in bed at her Redondo Beach home.
Chyna who was wearing a black tank top and a pair of multicolored, patterned pants, was lying on her right side, and her head rested on a stack of pillows, which were covered with blood and foam that came out from her nose and mouth.
According to the coroner's report, decomposition had just started to set in.
Next to her, was her cellphone, iPad, clothes, pillows and toys.
And inside her bedroom, investigators found a number of bottles of prescription medications, a metal pipe resembling a cigarette, a green plastic grinder, a small wooden box and a blue glass pipe. More pills were found inside the bed's nightstand, on the floor, and on a dining table.
It all began when Anzaldo grew suspicious he hadn’t heard from Chyna since she last tweeted on April 17.
She also shared a photo of herself on April 17 to her Instagram account, hoping everyone "enjoy your day with your family."
Anzaldo was also worried because days before this, Chyna had posted a rambling and sometimes incoherent video on YouTube.
And because Chyna didn't reply his message nor answer his calls, Anzaldo decided to check on her.
Toxicology tests from Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner report indicated that Chyna, whose real name was Joan Marie Laurer, died from an accidental overdose from alcohol, combined with the anxiety drugs diazepam and nordazepam, painkillers oxycodone and oxymorphone, and temazepam, a medication used to treat insomnia.
Anzaldo explained that the drugs were prescribed to Chyna, but Chyna wasn't using them as she was told.
"She fell asleep on Sunday night and peacefully took her last breath," Anzaldo said.
He added that there were no illegal items found at the scene.
Chyna’s mother also investigators that her daughter was an "alcoholic and drank cheap wine, and she was addicted to prescription medication," according to the report. The 46-year-old star also had a medical history of drug abuse.
During autopsy, doctors suggested that her brain could be used to help provide insight on a link between the degenerative brain disease and sports athletes whose heads repeatedly are exposed to blunt force trauma (chronic traumatic encephalopathy [CTE]).
Most documented cases involving CTE have been found in people who are used to striking-based combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, as well as contact sports such as American football, and rugby, as well as semi-contact sports such as baseball and basketball.
Others who are also at risk of CTE, include those in the military, people who experienced domestic violence, and people who experienced repeated banging to the head.
Since the diagnosis of CTE cannot be made in living individuals, Chyna who was a professional wrestler, had her brain donated to science.
However, brain had naturally decomposed to a point where it could not be definitively determined whether Chyna had CTE.
Chyna was cremated, and her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.
"WWE is saddened to learn of reports that Joanie Laurer, best known for competing in WWE as Chyna, has passed away," wrote WWE on its website post.
Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan called her a "beautiful soul." Stephanie McMahon, Chief Brand Officer for WWE, hailed her as a "pioneer."
I just heard the tragic news that @ChynaJoanLaurer has passed. She was truly a pioneer in our industry, and she will be missed. #RIPChyna
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) April 21, 2016
Following her death, Chyna left a legacy.
She was considered a female pioneer in the male-dominated sport of professional wrestling during the mid- to late-1990s.
The wrestler-turned-reality TV star and, later, adult film actress, used fitness as an escape from a difficult childhood, according to the biography on her official website.
Chyna, born in 1969, had experienced rough childhood from her parents and step-parents. She was also harassed by her teacher when she was still a minor, developed bulimia, and abused drugs. When she realized that she found peace when training her body, she developed strong muscles that she didn't even feel pain when she had ovarian tumor.
Chyna also experienced gangrape when she was drunk at a party.
When Chyna began attending fitness competitions, her large size compared to other competitors put her at a disadvantage. Realizing that her advantage is actually her huge size, she started wrestling.
Chyna entered the industry in 1995, when she debuted as a wrestler pitted against a man. Her performance caught the WWF's attention. But at the time, Vince McMahon, owner of the WWF, initially didn't want her to be a wrestler because he didn't believe the audience would find a woman beating up men believable.
But when Chyna was approached by World Championship Wrestling (WCW), WWF quickly took its chance and hired her.