Wrestling star Hulk Hogan has died aged 71 following reports of a cardiac arrest as tributes pour in for the WWE icon from Donald Trump and his sports co-stars
Hulk Hogan, the mustachioed megastar who transformed professional wrestling from smoke-filled arenas to the global stage of sports entertainment, has died at the age of 71. His death was confirmed by the WWE.
Police in Clearwater, Florida, told the Mirror that first responders responded to Hogan’s home after receiving a call for a cardiac arrest. He was treated “in place” before being transported to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His death came just five days after he was last seen on social media advertising beer. The WWE confirmed his death in a statement, “WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away.
“One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.”
Paying tribute, Donald Trump Jr. posted to X, ‘R.I.P. to a legend,’ and added a selfie of himself with the wrestling star. Fellow wrestling icon Ric Flair wrote: “I Am Absolutely Shocked To Hear About The Passing Of My Close Friend @HulkHogan! Hulk Has Been By My Side Since We Started In The Wrestling Business. An Incredible Athlete, Talent, Friend, And Father! Our Friendship Has Meant The World To Me.
“He Was Always There For Me, Even When I Didn’t Ask For Him To Be. He Was One Of The First To Visit Me When I Was In The Hospital With A 2% Chance Of Living, And He Prayed By My Bedside. Hulk Also Lent Me Money When Reid Was Sick. Hulkster, No One Will Ever Compare To You! Rest In Peace, My Friend!”
With his 24-inch pythons, golden mane, and trademark “Whatcha gonna do, brother?”, Hogan was a towering figure in American pop culture, not just in the squared circle, but on television, film, music, and even the witness stand.
Born Terry Gene Bollea on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia, he became synonymous with professional wrestling during the 1980s and early ‘90s.
At 6’ 7” tall and nearly 300 pounds, he was larger than life – a gladiator in neon yellow and red tights who rallied millions of fans to say their prayers and take their vitamins.
“To all my Hulkamaniacs,” he often thundered, “I love you. And I’ll never let you down.” Yet despite his rise as a wholesome icon of strength and virtue, Hogan’s life outside the ring was marked by scandal, betrayal, and redemption – a man who lived both the American dream and nightmare.
Hogan’s wrestling career began modestly in the late 1970s, but it exploded in 1984 when he won the WWF Championship by defeating The Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden.
Vince McMahon gambled to build the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) around one man, and it paid off spectacularly. From 1984 to 1993, Hogan headlined eight of the first nine WrestleManias.
His match against André the Giant at WrestleMania III in 1987, where he famously bodyslammed the 520-pound behemoth before 93,000 fans in the Pontiac Silverdome, remains one of the most iconic moments in sports entertainment.
“When I picked up André, it wasn’t just about strength,” Hogan once said. “It was about belief – mine and everyone else’s.” Other legendary bouts followed: his clash with “Macho Man” Randy Savage at WrestleMania V, the combustible feud with The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI, and later, his unforgettable turn as a villain in 1996 when he formed the nWo (New World Order) in WCW, shocking fans by becoming “Hollywood” Hogan.
Hogan wasn’t just a wrestler. He was a symbol for many. For a generation of Americans during the Reagan years, Hogan was the muscle-bound embodiment of patriotism.
He even defeated Sergeant Slaughter, who turned Iraqi sympathizer during the Gulf War-era WrestleMania VII, and entered the arena to “Real American” while waving the Stars and Stripes.
Outside of wrestling, Hogan made himself a household name with appearances in films like Rocky III in 1982, Suburban Commando in 1991, and the family-friendly Mr. Nanny in 1993.
He voiced cartoon characters, lent his name to action figures, and starred in the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best, offering a peek into his home life with then-wife Linda and their children, Brooke and Nick. Yet reality was far less scripted.
In 2007, Hogan’s son Nick was involved in a devastating car crash that left his friend John Graziano with permanent brain damage. The ensuing lawsuit and media attention shattered the family’s carefully maintained image.
Hogan and his wife Linda divorced shortly thereafter, ending a 24-year marriage amid accusations of infidelity. He remarried in 2010 to Jennifer McDaniel, a union that also ended in divorce in 2021.
In 2012, Hulk Hogan became the unlikely centerpiece of a digital free speech war when gossip site Gawker published a secretly recorded video of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend, radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge. The tape was humiliating.
More than that, it exposed Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, as far different from his wholesome image in the ring. In audio that later leaked, he was heard making racist remarks, which led to his being fired by WWE and erased from much of the company’s official history.
But Hogan didn’t retreat. He sued Gawker for invasion of privacy and won a stunning £104 million verdict in 2016, a case that eventually bankrupted the company.
“This is not only a victory for me, but for everyone who’s had their privacy violated,” Hogan said afterward. The case was secretly bankrolled by billionaire Peter Thiel, a longtime enemy of Gawker.
In court, Hogan famously testified that Hulk Hogan could boast about his sex life on Howard Stern, but Bollea deserved privacy. His performance was both theatrical and revealing: a man torn between persona and person.
In 2018, WWE cautiously reinstated Hogan into its Hall of Fame, prompting mixed reactions. Some welcomed his return, while others, especially Black wrestlers like Kofi Kingston and Titus O’Neil, remained skeptical of his contrition.
“I’m not perfect,” Hogan said during a 2019 appearance. “But I’ve spent my life trying to do right by my fans. If I’ve let them down, I’m sorry. But I’ll never stop loving them.”
In later years, Hogan embraced conservative politics more openly, praising Donald Trump – himself a WWE Hall of Famer – and voicing support for the former president’s populist agenda.
He once tweeted: “Thank God for President Trump, brother. He put America first.” He was most visible in last year, when he spoke at the Republican National Convention, tearing off his shirt to reveal a Trump/Vance shirt underneath.
He was also photographed backstage at Trump rallies and remained a frequent guest on right-wing podcasts, sharing grievances about “cancel culture,” the decline of masculinity, and the “real America” he believed in.
While his embrace of Trump alienated some fans, it solidified Hogan’s role as among many in hte MAGA movement. Hogan’s legacy will be, like the man himself, complicated.
He was the first professional wrestler to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Hogan sold out Madison Square Garden dozens of times and helped Vince McMahon build a multi-billion-dollar empire that would eventually go public.
He married for a third time in 2023, saying “I do” with yoga instructor, Sky Daily. Hogan is survived by his children, Brooke and Nick.
Source: Mirror
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