Professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea, has died at the age of 71, according to a report from TMZ. While specific details remain limited, emergency medical services were reportedly dispatched to Hogan’s residence in Clearwater, Florida, on Thursday morning following a call related to a “cardiac arrest.”
Hogan, a towering figure in the realm of professional wrestling, was reportedly stretchered into an ambulance. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) also confirmed Hogan’s passing in a post on X, stating: “WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.”
The WWE did not provide a cause of death for the American sports and entertainment star who transformed professional wrestling into a global phenomenon and was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump for president. The bleach-blond, mahogany-tanned behemoth became the iconic face of professional wrestling in the 1980s, instrumental in transitioning the staged combat from a niche spectacle into billion-dollar, family-friendly entertainment. A pivotal moment in this evolution occurred at the WrestleMania III extravaganza in 1987, when Hogan famously hoisted fellow wrestler André the Giant for a thunderous body slam before a sold-out Pontiac Silverdome crowd in Michigan.
Hogan leveraged his wrestling fame into a less successful Hollywood career, starring in films like “Rocky III” and “Santa With Muscles,” but consistently returned to the ring as long as his physical condition allowed. In 2024, he made an appearance at the Republican National Convention to endorse Donald Trump’s presidential bid. Trump had, in the 1980s, hosted WrestleManias headlined by Hogan. Hogan stated he decided to support the Republican candidate after witnessing Trump’s combative, fist-pumping reaction to an attempted assassination on the campaign trail. “Let Trumpamania run wild, brother!” Hogan bellowed to a cheering crowd, tearing off his shirt to reveal a Trump tank top. “Let Trumpamania rule again!”
Trump himself paid tribute to the late wrestling legend as a “great friend” and “MAGA all the way.” Trump stated on social media, “He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive.”
The Evolution into ‘Hulk’
Born in Augusta, Georgia, on August 11, 1953, the future Hulk and his family soon relocated to the Tampa, Florida area. After high school, he played bass guitar for local rock bands but felt drawn to the burgeoning wrestling scene in Florida during the 1970s. Many details of his career were show business exaggerations, characteristic of the blurred lines between fact and fiction in professional wrestling. His first trainer reportedly broke Hogan’s leg to deter him from entering the business, but he persisted with wrestling, weight training, and — as he later admitted — anabolic steroids. He gained notoriety as his biceps grew to what he famously dubbed the “24-inch pythons.”
The “Hulk” moniker originated from comparisons to the comic-book hero portrayed on TV at the time, leading him to pay royalties to Marvel Comics for years. The surname “Hogan” was the invention of promoter Vincent J. McMahon, owner of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), who sought Irish representation among his roster of stars.
His appearance as wrestler Thunderlips in “Rocky III,” where he physically dwarfed leading man Sylvester Stallone, propelled Hogan into the mainstream. Upon his return to the WWF, now under the control of McMahon’s son Vincent K., he defeated the Iron Sheik in 1984 to claim the world championship, a title he held for four years. Hogan became a household name, gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine and performing alongside pop culture figures like Mr. T. The WWF solidified its dominance in wrestling, anchored by its annual WrestleMania pay-per-view events.
Facing ‘The Rock’ and Later Career
Later in his career, Hogan joined rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW), trading his iconic yellow tights for black and adopting a new persona as the villainous “Hollywood” Hogan, the leader of a faction of rulebreakers known as the New World Order. This reinvention significantly reinvigorated his career.
Hogan eventually returned to the WWF, which was by then known as WWE, and faced Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania in 2002. “I’m in better shape than him,” Hogan told Reuters at the time, five months shy of his 50th birthday. “I’ll stand next to The Rock and pose down with him if he wants to.” The Rock ultimately won the match. Hogan was inducted twice into the WWE Hall of Fame and famously referred to himself as the “Babe Ruth” of wrestling, a nod to the legendary New York Yankees baseball player.
However, Hogan’s support for Trump in 2024 did not resonate well with all wrestling fans, and he also faced other controversies. In 2015, he was suspended by the WWE after another surreptitious recording revealed that Hogan had used a racial slur. He was reinstated in 2018. He was married three times and had two children, who starred alongside him and his first wife, Linda, in a 2005-2007 reality TV show titled “Hogan Knows Best.”
