REDONDO BEACH, Calif. - The coroner's office in Los Angeles County reported Thursday that the death earlier this year of professional wrestler Chyna in Redondo Beach was caused by the combined effect of alcohol and drugs and classified her death as accidental.
The wrestler, whose real name was Joan Laurer, was found dead April 20 in her apartment on the 900 block of Esplanade. She was 46.
Officers went to the residence after receiving a 911 call from her manager, who told them he had gone to check on her welfare and had found her dead. No foul play was suspected.
An autopsy was conducted, but the results were deferred pending the results of toxicology tests, said coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter.
The toxicology tests indicated that she had taken a combination of alcohol and diazepam, marketed as Valium; nordiazepam; oxycodone and oxymorphone, according to the coroner's report.
Laurer, who was listed as 5 feet 10 and 180 pounds, rose to fame in the then-World Wrestling Federation in 1997 by wrestling men and was credited with putting women's wrestling on the map. She also posed for Playboy, made a few adult films and appeared on the reality show, "The Surreal Life," in 2005.
The Rochester, New York native had also reportedly struggled with drug addiction for years and appeared on the reality show, "Celebrity Rehab," in 2008.
