Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dead At 71
A bouquet of flowers is laid at the Hogan's Beach store while fans pay tribute to Hulk Hogan following his death, in Clearwater Beach, Florida, US, July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Octavio Jones
ISTANBUL, July 25 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, died on Thursday at the age of 71 in the US state of Florida, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
The Clearwater Police Department said officers and fire personnel responded to a medical emergency involving Hogan in the morning. He was pronounced dead after being transported to a nearby hospital.
There has been no official reason for his death; however, American entertainment news outlet TMZ reported it was due to cardiac arrest.
bootstrap slideshow
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) offered condolences on X. "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," it said.
US President Donald Trump paid tribute to Hogan, calling him a "great friend", and noted his political support. "Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Hogan made an appearance at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden last October. He entered to his iconic Real American theme song, waving an American flag. The wrestler then performed his trademark shirt-ripping act, unveiling a Trump shirt underneath.
Hogan became one of pop culture's most recognisable figures, helping the WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s with his "Hulkamania" phenomenon. His six WWE championship reigns included a historic 1,474-day title run, one of the longest in company history.
Hogan's legendary moments included slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3 and his shocking heel turn — joining the New World Order (nWo) in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1996.
His 1988 match against André the Giant drew 33 million viewers with a 15.2 Nielsen rating — still an American television wrestling viewership record.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Sean 'Diddy' Combs seeks release on $50-million bond ahead of sentencing
FILE PHOTO: 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party - Arrivals - Beverly Hills, California, U.S., 04/03/2018 - Rapper P. Diddy. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok/File Photo NEW YORK (Reuters) -Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyers on Tuesday urged the judge who oversaw his sex crimes trial to release him from jail on a $50-million bond ahead of his October 3 sentencing, after the hip-hop mogul was found not guilty of the most serious charges he faced. In a court filing, Combs' defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn were dangerous, and said defendants convicted in the past of prostitution-related charges that were similar to Combs' were usually released before their sentencing. "Sean Combs should not be in jail for this conduct," Agnifilo wrote. "In fact, he may be the only person currently in a United States jail for being any sort of john." A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, which brought the charges, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. After a six-week trial, Combs, 55, was found not guilty on July 2 of three counts of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, which carried potential life sentences. He was convicted on two lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. Each of those counts carries a maximum 10-year sentence, but prosecutors have acknowledged that federal sentencing guidelines appeared to recommend a sentence well below the statutory maximum. Prosecutors alleged the Bad Boy Records founder used physical violence, threats, and the resources of his business empire to coerce two of his former girlfriends to take part in days-long, drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers sometimes called "freak-offs." Combs pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers argued his two girlfriends took part willingly in the encounters. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian denied Combs' initial request for release immediately after the verdict, citing the ample evidence presented at trial of violent acts he committed. In their filing on Tuesday, Combs' lawyers said it was unusual for him to be prosecuted on the prostitution-related offenses at all because he was not profiting financially from the acts of prostitution. They also said Combs' detention since September 2024 at the MDC should qualify as an "exceptional circumstance" warranting Combs' release despite the evidence he had been violent. Combs' lawyers have said there have been fights in his unit, and wrote on Tuesday that his safety is at risk. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which operates MDC, has said it is engaged in "intensive efforts" to improve conditions there. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New YorkEditing by Rod Nickel)
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Can you do the Nicki Minaj TikTok challenge?
(From left) Singer Ciara, professional circus artist Brianna Kalisch and TikToker Francesca Pagan doing the Nicki Minaj challenge. Photos: Ciara/Instagram, Brianna Kalisch/Instagram, Francesca Pagan/Instagram If you have a few seconds, social media has a new exercise for you to try. First, do a single-legged squat and cross the other leg over. Then try that in the highest pair of heels you can find. Once you have that figured out, do the same pose, in those heels, on top of two cooking pots stacked on the kitchen counter – or on top of the monkey bars at a playground jungle gym or on top of a single soda can. The pretzel-like pose is called the Nicki Minaj because – in what feels like ancient history by social media standards – the Trinidadian rapper and singer did it beside a swimming pool in the music video for her 2013 track High School . A clip from that video has resurfaced on TikTok in the past week, seemingly at random, and has taken on a life of its own as users have tried to recreate the pose in increasingly precarious locations, while challenging one another to come up with more difficult versions. The hashtag #nickiminajchallenge has been viewed more than 1.3 billion times. And the challenge has drawn celebrity participants, such as American comedienne Christina Kirkman (balancing on a cooking pot and a can of soup) and American singer Ciara (balancing on a stack of dumbbells). The pretzel-like pose is called the Nicki Minaj because the rapper did it for her 2013 music video 'High School'. Photo: YouTube screengrab 'The idea is, how could we make this tougher? How could we make this more tricky?' said Francesca Pagan, 27, who posted a video of herself doing the Nicki on top of three books, one cooking pot and an aluminium can while balancing a book on her head. 'The riskier it is, the more amazed people are.' It is also essential to look calm and collected while doing the pose. Having done gymnastics and cheerleading as a kid certainly helped, Pagan added. 'I'm not going to say I recommend everyone do it because that's just in bad faith,' she said. 'I think you have to have a certain level of confidence in your ability to balance.' Some commenters questioned whether her version of the pose was real, Pagan said, because of its difficulty. So, she posted bloopers showing her losing her balance and the book falling off her head. She then posted a second video of the Nicki, in which she posed on top of even more stacked pots. For some, the challenge has become a way to showcase their businesses or passions. A video posted on Fenty Beauty's account, for example, features a woman doing the Nicki on top of a stack of the cosmetic brand's products in a Sephora store. Mothers shown perched atop a stack of toys, surrounded by their tumbling children, seem to project uncanny calmness amid the chaos of parenting. Professional circus artist Brianna Kalisch received a message from her friend a few days ago. 'He was like, 'You should do this,'' she said. Until participating in the challenge, TikTok videos of her bottle walking and balancing feats, which had once been flagged as 'dangerous activities', had not gained much traction on the platform, Kalisch said. But she thought she would give the Nicki a shot anyway. She created a pyramid of 12 champagne bottles, climbed on top, and then assumed the pose. Her sister handed her another bottle that she placed on her head. In two days, the video received more than two million views. 'I actually tried juggling,' Kalisch said, 'but my knees were in the way. It didn't work.' – ©2025 The New York Times Company
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
Labubu fans dote over ugly-cute doll trending at Comic-Con
The wide-eyed and grinning doll was created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. Photo: AP San Diego Comic-Con is the latest location where the ugly-cute dolls named Labubu have been trending, with fans carrying the plushies globally popularised by celebrities Rihanna, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, and Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink. The wide-eyed and grinning doll was created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung allowed them to be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that sells collectible figurines, often in "blind boxes". "Blind boxes" are sealed boxes containing a surprise item that is usually part of a themed collection. Naomi Galban, from San Diego, waited in line on Sunday at the Pop Mart booth in the San Diego Convention Center for a chance to get her first Labubu. "Every time I go to a Pop Mart store, they're sold out," the 24-year-old told Reuters. She hoped to buy one for her little sister. Emily Brough, Pop Mart's head of IP Licensing, spoke to Reuters on Thursday about Labubu fans at Comic-Con. "We love to see how fans are personalising it (Labubu) for themselves," Brough said next to the Pop Mart booth. While Brough noted that there were many people with a Labubu strapped to their bags and backpacks at Comic-Con, the doll's popularity did not happen overnight. Labubus had a huge boost in 2019 after Pop Mart began selling them, and in 2024, when Blackpink's Lisa, who is Thai, created a buying frenzy in Thailand after she promoted Labubu on social media. Pop Mart saw sales skyrocket in North America that same year, with revenue in the United States in the first quarter of 2025 already surpassing the full-year US revenue from 2024, Pop Mart said. When he created Labubu, Lung gave the character, who is female, a backstory inspired by Nordic mythology. He called her and his other fictional creatures "The Monsters." Diana Goycortua, 25, first discovered Labubu through social media, and before she knew it, it felt like a "game" to try and collect the dolls. "It's a little bit of gambling with what you're getting," the Labubu fan from San Diego said on Sunday while waiting at the Pop Mart booth, concluding that her love for the character made it worth trying blind boxes. Goycortua already has three Labubus, and was hoping to score her a fourth one at Comic-Con. – Reuters
