Chyna dead: Five surprising facts about the WWE legend's action-packed life

The wrestling world is in mourning following the news former WWE wrestler Chyna has died at the age of 45. Outside of the ring, the wrestling icon had a colourful and unusual life and she experienced more in her short but action-packed lifetime than most.

Chyna, whose real name is Joanie Laurer, was found dead at her California apartment on Wednesday night. Police in Redondo Beach in California were called to her apartment after a friend found Chyna unresponsive. The cause of death is currently under investigation but police say there are no signs of foul play.

Smashing gender barriers and stereotypes to literal smithereens, Chyna was the only female wrestler to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Once a shy unassuming girl growing up in New York, Chyna went on to make her grand debut as a bodyguard for Triple H, competing alongside and against some of the hardest men in the WWF.

Chyna established herself as one of the most enduringly famous and popular female wrestlers throughout the course of her career .

From beating multiple-time world champions to appearing in Sabrina The Teenage Witch to joining the peace corps, the wrestler who has been dubbed “the first lady of sports entertainment” lived a unique life.

Growing up in a home plagued by alcoholism and domestic problems, Chyna’s childhood was not free of hardship. After her parents divorced at the age of four, she regularly moved houses, having a total of three different stepfathers and one stepmother. Chyna left home at the age of 16, which was also when fitness began providing a welcome sanctuary. Turning her attention to aerobics and lifting weights at her local New York gym, she quickly discovered a parallel universe and a reprieve: wrestling.

The New York native began training to be a pro wrestler in a wrestling school where all the other students were male. Learning under the watchful guidance of Walter ‘Killer’ Kowalski, she rapidly dominated the world of women’s wrestling. It was then that she was scouted by Paul Levesque, also known as “Triple H”, and Shawn Michaels, otherwise known as HBK. She quickly ascended to prominence – a founding member of the wrestling squad which labelled itself “De-Generation X”. She went on to beat a number of esteemed male wrestlers, such as multiple-time world champions Triple H, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett.

Despite her wide array of achievements, Chyna does not currently have a place in the WWE’s Hall of fame. This is believed to be the result of her work in the adult industry from 2004 onwards. She has also appeared in Playboy magazine twice.

A world away from the wrestling career, Chyna made a rather unusual appearance in Sabrina, playing the role of devious Mary Jo in the episode Driving Mr Goodman. After Sabrina gets into a minor car accident while teaching Miles how to drive, Mary Jo sues her for gross injury although it later transpires Mary Jo is lying and faking her injuries.

A lesser known fact about the wrestling great is her scholarly past. Chyna graduated with a major in Spanish Literature from the University of Tampa in Florida in 1992. She also studied German and French and university and can converse in both languages. More recently, she released a fashion book, Paper Doll, in 2009 which became a best-seller.

From joining the Peace Corps and travelling to Guatemala to working as a singer in a band to being a 900-number chat line worker, Chyna has done it all. She has even trained as a flight attendant and worked as a belly dancer.