WWE icon Hulk Hogan dies after cardiac arrest at his Florida home
Police in Clearwater, Florida, said Hulk Hogan suffered cardiac arrest at his home on Thursday morning and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
He body-slammed giants, tore shirts off his chest, and turned yelling “brother!” into a cultural catchphrase. Now, the world is saying goodbye to Hulk Hogan.
The iconic wrestler who brought professional wrestling out of smoky halls and into living rooms around the globe has died at 71.
Police in Clearwater, Florida, said Hogan suffered cardiac arrest at his home on Thursday morning and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) confirmed the news, saying, “WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture’s most recognisable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s.”
Born Terry Gene Bollea in Georgia and raised in Florida, Hogan’s rise to fame was anything but ordinary.
From playing bass in local bands to becoming the face of a billion-dollar wrestling empire, his life was as dramatic outside the ring as it was inside.
He trained through pain, built up his “24-inch pythons”, and entered the ring with the swagger of a superhero.
The moment that defined him came at 'WrestleMania III' in 1987, when he hoisted 7’4” André the Giant over his head and slammed him to the mat in front of a roaring crowd in Michigan.
At 6’8” himself, Hogan wasn’t just wrestling; he was performing a spectacle that would become the cornerstone of WWE’s rise.
His screen debut in Rocky III as the wrestler 'Thunderlips' launched his crossover into Hollywood.
Though his acting career never reached the same heights, it kept him in the public eye.
He held the WWF championship belt for four years after defeating the Iron Sheik in 1984 and led the WWE’s expansion into global entertainment.
Hogan constantly reinvented himself, including a dark turn in the 1990s when he joined rival World Championship Wrestling and created the villainous “Hollywood” Hogan character as leader of the 'New World Order'. It revived his popularity and drew in new fans.
He eventually returned to WWE and faced Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in an electric 'WrestleMania' match in 2002.
“I’m in better shape than him,” Hogan said at the time. “I’ll stand next to The Rock and pose with him if he wants to.”
Inducted twice into the WWE Hall of Fame, Hogan often called himself the 'Babe Ruth' of wrestling.
His influence stretched beyond the ring, but so did his controversies. In 2015, he was suspended by the WWE after audio leaked of him using a racial slur.
He was reinstated in 2018. Earlier, he sued Gawker for posting parts of a sex tape and won $140 million (Sh18 billion) in damages, leading to the site’s collapse.
In 2024, Hogan stirred more debate by backing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
At the Republican National Convention (RNC), he shouted, “Let Trumpamania run wild, brother! Let Trumpamania rule again!” while wearing a Trump tank top.
Offstage, Hogan’s personal life was often in the spotlight. He was married three times and had two children.
His family starred with him in the reality series Hogan Knows Best, which aired from 2005 to 2007.
Condolences poured in from across the wrestling world.
Vince McMahon, who built the WWE empire alongside Hogan, posted on X: “He was a trailblazer. He leaves us with one of his favourite expressions, ‘Train, take your vitamins and say your prayers.’ Today, we pray for him.”
Hogan didn’t just play a hero; for many, he was one. In a world of scripted drama, he made fans believe in power, loyalty, and spectacle. With his passing, an era of wrestling showmanship comes to a roaring close.
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