Hulk Hogan, who has died of an apparent heart attack aged 71, was a wrestler widely acknowledged as one of the greatest – and certainly one of the most recognisable – in the history of his sport; standing at 6ft 7in and weighing 21 stone, with his trademark bandana and horseshoe moustache, he dominated wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s, and became one of the most ubiquitous figures in American popular culture.

He attracted renewed attention latterly for his avid support of Donald Trump, tearing off his shirt at last year’s Republican National Convention to reveal a bright red vest emblazoned “Trump/Vance”.

Hogan began his professional career in 1977, but made his name after signing for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1983. His persona of all-American hero was instrumental in the 1980s wrestling boom, and he was the usual headliner at the annual WrestleMania event. His Main Event match-up with André the Giant in 1988 attracted 33 million viewers.

He dealt lightly with the charge that wrestling is fake. When a journalist asked him about it in 1991, Hogan replied, smiling: “If you’d asked that question 10, 15 years ago, it would have been important to punch you in the face and knock all your teeth out.”

He was born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia, on August 11 1953, the son of a building foreman, Pietro “Peter” Bollea, and a dance teacher, Ruth, née Moody; his family had Italian, Panamanian, Scottish, and French roots. His older brother Allan died aged 38 from a drugs overdose.

When young Terry was a year old, the family moved to Port Tampa, Florida, where he was a promising pitcher in Little League Baseball. He attended Robinson High School, and became a wrestling fan aged 16, inspired in particular by Dusty Rhodes and Superstar Billy Graham.

He was also a promising musician, playing fretless bass in a variety of bands. He attended the University of South Florida, but dropped out to carry on his music career, forming a band named Ruckus. Through contacts at a local gym where he worked out he took up wrestling: almost immediately he suffered a broken ankle but, undeterred, he began working with a noted trainer, Hiro Matsuda – who broke his leg in their first session.

After a year with the Japanese man he began fighting as the masked “Super Destroyer”, then in 1979 joined Vince McMahon’s WWF under the name Hulk Hogan. A glorious few years followed, with five WWF Championship titles, and he also established a thriving career in Japan, where he was known as Ichiban – “No 1”.

In 1985, on his cable TV show, the comedian and Homicide actor Richard Belzer asked Hogan to put him in a hold. Hogan obliged with a chin lock, knocking Belzer unconscious and dropping him to the floor. Belzer hit his head, requiring eight stitches, and sued Hogan for $5 million in damages – from which he bought a house in the south of France that he and his wife called “Chez Hogan”.

Hogan’s appearances regularly set pay-per-view records, and in 1987 “the slam heard round the world”, WrestleMania III, unfolded in front of 93,173 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan.

As WWF became a global marketing giant, Hogan was a key figure, but in 1993 he joined the rival set-up World Championship Wrestling, winning their heavyweight title six times, and in 1996, he adopted the “heel” or bad-guy persona of “Hollywood” Hogan. He became one of the biggest figures of the “Monday Night Wars” television slot.

In 1994, he was given immunity from prosecution when he testified at Vince McMahon’s trial for allegedly trafficking steroids. Hogan admitted that he had himself taken steroids, but insisted that they had not been supplied by McMahon, who was eventually acquitted.

In 2012 a sex tape featuring Hogan and Heather Clem, the estranged wife of the radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, emerged, and Hogan sued the Gawker website for $100 million for invasion of privacy, infringement of personality rights and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

He won $115 million in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages, after which Gawker filed for bankruptcy protection and put itself up for sale. He eventually reached a $31 million settlement.

As well as a flamboyant cameo as Thunderlips in Rocky III, Hogan appeared in a number of films including No Holds Barred, Gremlins II, Suburban Commando, Muppets in Space and Mr Nanny, and was the frontman for the Wrestling Boot Band, whose sole record, Hulk Rules, reached No 12 in the US charts in 1995.

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, but 10 years later was removed after making “inappropriate and racist” comments.

Hulk Hogan married Linda Claridge in 1983; they had a daughter and son but divorced in 2007. In 2010 he married Jennifer McDaniel, but they divorced in 2022, and in 2023 he married a yoga instructor, Sky Daily, who survives him with his children.

Hulk Hogan, born August 11 1953, died July 24 2025