Hulk Hogan, the charismatic face of ’80s professional wrestling, died on Thursday. He was 71.
The news was first shared by police in Clearwater, Florida, who posted a news alert to Facebook after responding to a call for cardiac arrest. They say the wrestler, whose real name is Terry Bollea, was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced deceased.
“It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that we confirm we have lost a legend. Our beloved Terry Bollea, known worldwide as Hulk Hogan, passed away today surrounded by his loved ones,” Hogan’s official Instagram account shared. “At this time of grief, we ask that everyone please respect the privacy of his family and friends. May we all take solace in the wonderful memories he left behind for the millions of fans worldwide whose lives he touched for more than four decades. He will be missed, but never forgotten.”
Bollea was a Central Florida bodybuilder and bassist before taking up professional wrestling in the late ’70s. He got his start in the state’s regional promotion, Championship Wrestling From Florida. Clashing personalities briefly caused him to walk away from the business before being coaxed back into territorial wrestling in Alabama and Memphis. A consequential meeting in 1979 brought Bollea into the orbit of upstart wrestling promoter Vincent J. McMahon.
Stints in McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment) would bring Bollea worldwide acclaim under his most famous gimmick: the supercharged, mega patriot Hulk Hogan. Hogan became the face of McMahon’s promotion as it toppled the longstanding regional system of wrestling to become a nationwide concern.
He was the quintessential example of McMahon’s house style, which preferred short, theatrical matches between impossibly large superstars. Hogan’s gimmick of “hulking up” via crowd energy to become impervious to pain would help the 6’8 Bollea bring matches to a Hollywood ending that didn’t rely on technical wrestling ability. His on-mic skills and burgeoning film and television career outside the ring made him a massive draw throughout the decade.
When billionaire Ted Turner made his last gasp effort to thwart the WWE’s nationwide dominance via his World Championship Wrestling promotion, he made Hogan his star attraction in a clear shot at McMahon. The WWE’s main competition throughout the ’90s eventually cratered following years of declining ratings and confusing storylines, leading Hogan to return to the WWE once more.
In recent years, Hogan was better known for his work outside the squared circle. The VH1 reality TV series “Hogan Knows Best” followed his family for four seasons. A massive defamation lawsuit stemming from the publication of his sex tape, funded in part by Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, helped bring about the end of the news and gossip website Gawker. In 2024, he appeared at the Republican National Convention to endorse fellow former WWE star Donald Trump for president and later spoke at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
Tributes to the WWE Hall of Famer have poured out across social media in the wake of his death.
“Hulk Hogan was a great American icon. One of the first people I ever truly admired as a kid,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X. “Rest in peace.”
“Hogan was the greatest WWE Superstar of all time,” McMahon shared on X. “He was a trailblazer, the first performer who transitioned from being a wrestling star into a global phenomenon.”
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