Hulk Hogan, WWE Star, Dead At 71

The wrestling world is grieving the loss of one of its biggest legends — 12-time world champ Hulk Hogan has died at age 71. According to a TMZ report, he was rushed to the hospital in the morning of July 24 after suffering what dispatchers said was a cardiac event at his home in Clearwater, Florida.

The sad news comes just days after Hogan's wife, Sky Daily, denied rumors that the WWE icon was near death. "No, he's definitely not in a coma! His heart is strong, and there was never any lack of oxygen or brain damage," she wrote on Instagram (via PennLive). She did, however, reveal that Hogan, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea, had been spending a lot of time in the hospital after undergoing ACDF (Anterior Cervical Discectomy & Fusion) surgery on his neck.

Hogan's former friend, Bubba the Love Sponge, was responsible for spreading the rumors about the WWE Hall of Famer's health on his radio show. Three days before the news of Hogan's death broke, the shock jock revealed he had heard that Hogan had needed a second surgery that resulted in serious complications. "The procedure requires them to move the esophagus, and in doing that they must have nicked it," he said. He claimed that this resulted in Hogan being unable to speak. Months before his death, Hogan opened up about his long history of health issues. "I've had like 25 surgeries in the last 10 years," he revealed on Jake Paul's "IMPAULSIVE" podcast in September 2024. "Ten back surgeries, both knees, both hips replaced, shoulders — everything."

In addition to his many years in the ring, Hulk Hogan was known for his struggle to launch a successful acting career and his family's reality series, "Hogan Knows Best," which was canceled in 2007. It explored the dynamic between Hulk, his now-ex-wife Linda Hogan, and their two kids, Brooke Hogan and Nick Hogan.

Brooke has shared some tragic details about her relationship with her father, revealing in March that she was estranged from both him and her mother. Of why she cut them out of her life, she wrote on Instagram, "I've been ASKED to defend poor behavior to the public and have done so out of love. ... I was expected to and DID forgive massive blows to my career and personal life, nasty behavior, omissions of truth, blatant lies, manipulation, and repetitive errors in hopes of renewing previous family bonds." She added that she had made multiple efforts to mend her relationships with her parents but had given up. In a seeming response to her post, Hulk shared a since-deleted video of himself and Sky Daily eating popcorn. He also joked about launching another family reality series.

Nick, however, maintained a relationship with his dad. In June, he revealed that he had spent Father's Day with Hulk and shared a throwback photo on Instagram of the two of them flexing their biceps. Linda revealed that she was thinking about her ex-husband just four days before his passing with a throwback of her own. "The good old days!" she captioned the snapshot of Hulk with his arm around her.