James Reiher Snuka AKA Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka – Died at 73

Jamer Reiher Snuka (born James Wiley Smith) will be remembered as Jimmy “Superfly“ Snuka. During his time in the ring, Jimmy was credited for introducing the high-flying style to the WWF. His children are wrestlers as well. Snuka’s life was marked by the death of his then 23-year-old girlfriend Nancy Argentino. Nancy was found injured in his room in 1983 and died shortly after. However, Snuka was not prosecuted until 32 years later when he was charged with third-degree murder in 2015. James was deemed unfit for trial due to his deteriorating mental health and so eventually, charges were dismissed in January 2017. Snuka died twelve days later.

André René Rousimoff AKA André the Giant – Died at 46

At one point, the large French wrestler André the Giant was the highest-paid wrestler and was even mentioned in the 1974 Guinness Book of World Records. André’s size was caused by gigantism, due to excess growth hormone, and there is an urban legend going around that the anesthesiologist used his alcohol tolerance to determine the right dosage when André underwent a surgery in 1987. Unofficial records indicate that Rousimoff was 7’4” tall. In 1993, Rousimoff went to Paris to attend his father’s funeral. He died in his sleep due to heart failure and his body was found by his chauffeur. He left his entire estate to his daughter Robin.

Joan Marie Laurel AKA Chyna – Died at 46

Chyna slipped into the adult film industry in 2004 together with Sean Waltman and about that time, she started losing control over her life. She continued to appear in adult movies for years and soon she was struggling with an alcohol addiction and mental health issues. She spoke about her drug addiction when she made an appearance on The Howard Stern Show for the second time. From a wrestler and glamor model, Chyna ended up teaching English in Japan in 2014. She died at the age of 46. Her body was found in her apartment and the cause of death was concluded to be alcohol overdose combined with anxiety drugs.