Manager: Chyna died from accidental overdose of prescription pills

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Friday, April 29, 2016
Joan Laurer, better known as Chyna, was found dead in Redondo Beach earlier this month.
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Former professional wrestler and actor Joan Laurer, better known as Chyna, died from an accidental overdose of prescription pills, according to her manager.



Chyna's manager Anthony Anzaldo told our sister station ABC7 she misused her legally prescribed Ambien and generic form of Valium over the course of two to three weeks.



Anzaldo also said no alcohol or illegal drugs were located in her Redondo Beach apartment in the 900 block of Esplanade.



The prescription pills were on Chyna's nightstand when Anzaldo found her body, Anzaldo stated.





Chyna rocketed to fame as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 2001.



She began lifting in her hometown of Rochester, New York, at the age of 15, and at one time could reportedly bench press 325 pounds.



Chyna was open about growing up in a home with alcoholism and would later have her own documented struggle with drugs.



PHOTOS: Chyna through the years


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Richard A. Grasso, center, chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, is joined by World Wrestling Federation wrestlers outside the stock exchange Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2000.
AP Photo/Stuart Ramson


In 2007, viewers saw a different side of Chyna when she appeared on the reality TV show "The Surreal Life." She also appeared on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" the following year.



Chyna later pursued a career in porn, stating her first adult film gave her a newfound confidence to get back on her feet.



She also posed in "Playboy" magazine and had a New York Times' best-selling autobiography titled "If They Only Knew."

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