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Ashley Massaro, the winner of the 2005 WWE Diva Search, passed away on 5/16 after hanging herself.

Massaro, who had battled depression for years, was 39. In a 2017 affidavit when being party to a lawsuit against the company, she claimed she was raped and sodomized while doing a public relations tour of military bases while working for WWE in 2007, which she was told to keep quiet about, a charge WWE has denied in the past and did again this past week..

Depression is a much larger issue in society than most truly understand. For a number of reasons, it is very strong in pro wrestling, as well as other forms of entertainment, due to the extreme highs involved in performing and fleeting nature of fame and the pressure on performing. Concussions likely exacerbate such issues, but it is a major part of society and entertainment in places where head trauma doesn’t exist. Most don’t talk about it publicly, due to the stigma, but many, such as Mauro Ranallo and A.J. Mendez (A.J. Lee) have been very outspoken on the subject.

Massaro was ten days away from her 40th birthday. She was working as a DJ for WWSK 94.3 FM The Shark in Long Island, working as a disc jockey and on-air host. She had called in sick prior to her suicide. She was discovered unconscious in her home in Smithtown, NY, which led to a phone call to 911 at about 5 a.m. She died while being transported to the hospital while emergency crews attempted life-resuscitating measures on her.

Massaro was extremely well liked among those who knew her in pro wrestling. She was also known for appearing on “Survivor: China,” a gig she was approached for after appearing on the cover of the April 2007 issue of Playboy at a time WWE was heavily marketing her after her Diva Search win. She also at the time appeared on covers of Flex and Maxim.

She had worked as a Fitness Model prior to WWE. Most recently she had worked with Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle web site doing modeling and ad campaigns, including a campaign for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

“I have no words,” wrote Maria Kanellis Bennett. “Ashley was my tag partner at WrestleMania, my sometimes road wife. We did countless photo shoots and press days together. It seems like yesterday Ashley was a major part of my life and then our world’s changed and now she is gone. I’m heartbroken for her family.”