Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dies at 71

Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea died on Thursday, WWE announced. He was 71 years old.

Hogan is survived by his third wife, Sky Daily, and two children, Brooke and Nick. Hogan was married twice before, to Linda Claridge and Jennifer McDaniel.

News of Hogan’s passing was initially reported by TMZ. According to the Clearwater Fire and Police Departments, there was a call for a cardiac arrest at Hogan’s Clearwater Beach address, and Hogan was treated by fire and rescue crews before being transported to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Although Hogan’s professional wrestling career began in the late 1970s, his true explosion on the scene didn’t come until the mid-1980s, when he helped Vince McMahon turn the then-WWF from primarily a northeast-based wrestling territory into a national brand, and eventually a multi-billion-dollar company.

During his initial run with McMahon’s promotion, Hogan’s popularity surged, making him easily the most famous and recognized wrestler during the period. Hogan’s entrance music (“Real American”), signature red-and-yellow gear, his catchphrase “Whatcha gonna do, when Hulkamania runs wild on you?” and his dubbing of fans as “Hulkamaniacs” helped make him arguably the most popular babyface of all time. Although Hogan’s matches followed a simple formula — offense, near defeat, “hulking up” before ultimately winning — he remained the biggest draw WWF had at the time.

Hogan’s most famous match came in 1987, when he wrestled Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III. Hogan and Andre had wrestled several times in the past, but none of the previous matches were met with the anticipation or stakes that their showdown at the Pontiac Silverdome did in that match.

In an interview for the 2018 HBO documentary “Andre the Giant,” Hogan recalled the build-up to the show, saying that he wasn’t sure if Andre would follow the plan for the match, allowing Hogan to win and breaking his kayfabe undefeated streak. Hogan’s bodyslam of Andre and ensuing victory were defining moments in professional wrestling history.

Hogan’s run at or near the top of the promotion continued into the mid-1990s before he joined the main competitor at the time, Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling. Turner, looking to make a splash and grow his brand beyond the southeast territory, brought in Hogan and several other big-name talents. Hogan’s first few years with WCW were largely forgettable before he became a star for another generation.

Hulk Hogan appeared at the first “WWE Raw” on Netflix at the Intuit Dome on Jan. 6. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)

(WWE via Getty Images)

Once the top babyface in the business, Hogan would again transcend professional wrestling in 1996, turning heel for the first time in over a decade and forming the New World Order alongside Scott Hall and Kevin Nash at Bash at the Beach. The NWO storyline quickly became one of the hottest in not just professional wrestling, but pop culture at the time, propelling WCW to an 18-month run of beating McMahon’s WWE in television ratings.

When McMahon eventually bought WCW and Hogan returned to WWE in 2002, he did so as his NWO “Hollywood” Hogan character and again captivated audiences at WrestleMania 18, wrestling Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in an instant classic. Hogan would leave WWE again in 2003, wrestling for numerous promotions, including TNA/Impact, over the next decade.

Hogan appeared sporadically on WWE programming — mostly major events such as WrestleMania and anniversary shows — in subsequent years.

Influential as a professional wrestler, Hogan utilized his status to cross over into Hollywood on several occasions. Hogan’s first, non-wrestling role came in 1982’s “Rocky III,” where he played Thunderlips, a professional wrestler that Sylvester Stallone’s character fights during a charity event. Hogan’s most famous roles came in the 1993 film “Mr. Nanny” and the 1994 television series “Thunder in Paradise.” Hogan and his family also appeared on a reality television series, “Hogan Knows Best,” in the mid-2000s.

Myriad scandals plagued Hogan over the years. In 1985, Hogan was involved in an incident with actor Richard Belzer after Hogan placed Belzer in a chokehold at the star’s request. Belzer passed out and suffered a head injury and sued Hogan. Nearly a decade later, Hogan offered testimony in the federal steroid trafficking trial against McMahon.

Most notably, in 2012, a clip from a sex tape involving Hogan and Heather Clem was published online by Gawker. Hogan sued Gawker, and after years-long litigation, eventually reached a $31 million settlement.

Then, in July 2015, footage from the same sex tape was leaked to Radar Online and the National Enquirer where Hogan was filmed using racial slurs and claiming he was “a little racist.” The incident caused WWE to cut ties with Hogan for several years before eventually reconciling. One of Hogan’s most recent appearances, at the “WWE Raw” Netflix debut in January, was met with an overwhelmingly negative reaction from WWE fans.

In recent years, Hogan expanded his platform into a memorabilia shop in Florida as well as a beer company, Real American Beer, and was in the process of launching a freestyle wrestling company, Real American Freestyle, alongside his former WCW colleague, Eric Bischoff.

Real American Freestyle released a statement after news of Hogan’s passing broke:

“We lost our Commissioner. We lost a friend. And the sport of wrestling lost one of its greatest champions, not just in the ring, but in spirit,” Chad Bronstein, CEO and co-founder, wrote.

“Hulk Hogan believed wrestling was more than just entertainment. He saw it as a brotherhood, a proving ground and a platform for greatness. That’s what Real American Freestyle was built to be, a new stage for the toughest, most passionate athletes on Earth. And Hulk was at the center of it.

From day one, he threw his weight behind this league. He met with athletes. He watched tape, shared stories, and showed up like only he could. RAF was personal to him, something bigger than all of us.

This league is part of his legacy, and we intend to honor it.”

Hogan took a central role in the 2024 presidential election, delivering a speech at the Republican National Convention last August and introducing former President Donald Trump on the final night. Trump posted a tribute to Hogan, writing “we lost a great friend.”

Despite criticisms about his wrestling style and his transgressions, Hogan remained a major draw and influential figure for the industry. During his six-decade career in professional wrestling, Hogan won countless titles and was inducted into multiple Halls of Fame.

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Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dies at 71

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