Wrestling great Hulk Hogan dead at 71
Hulk Hogan, the wrestler credited by many for pushing professional wrestling into mainstream media during his 1980s heyday, has died.
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He was 71.
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First responders were called to Hogan's home in Clearwater, Fla, for a cardiac arrest just before 10 a.m. Thursday morning, according to the Clearwater Police Department's Facebook post. Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
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On X, WWE expressed condolences over the passing of 'one of pop culture's most recognizable figures.'
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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.
— WWE (@WWE) July 24, 2025
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During his prolific career, which included a popular stint in rival WCW, Hogan won multiple championships. He was inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame in 2005.
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Reaction from wrestling peers was swift.
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Longtime friend and near perennial in-ring rival Ric Flair called him an 'incredible athlete, talent, friend and father.' Flair noted how Hogan was among the first to visit him in the hospital following a 2017 health scare, allegedly praying by his bedside, and even loaned him money when his son 'Reid was sick.' Flair's youngest son, who also wrestled, died from a drug overdose in 2013.
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I Am Absolutely Shocked To Hear About The Passing Of My Close Friend @HulkHogan! Hulk Has Been By My Side Since We Started In The Wrestling Business. An Incredible Athlete, Talent, Friend, And Father! Our Friendship Has Meant The World To Me. He Was Always There For Me Even When… pic.twitter.com/rOWLakMjr4
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) July 24, 2025
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Toronto Sun
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Daughter Brooke Hogan reveals why she skipped Hulk Hogan's funeral
Daughter of late WWE legend shared in an Instagram post that Hogan 'hated the morbidity of funerals,' and 'he didn't want one.' A cloud that looks similar to Hulk Hogan's signature pose appeared around the time of his funeral on Tuesday. Instagram While friends and family gathered for the funeral service of late WWE icon Hulk Hogan in Florida on Tuesday, there was one noticeable absence: His daughter, Brooke Hogan. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Brooke opted to skip the service for her father, real name Terry Bollea, instead choosing to spend time with her own children at one of the Hulkster's favourite places — the beach. Brooke shared her reason for missing the pro wrestling great's funeral in a post on Instagram. 'My father hated the morbidity of funerals. He didn't want one,' Brooke Hogan posted on Instagram. 'Although I know people grieve in many ways — and I'm so grateful for all celebrations and events organized to honor him. 'I had to make my own decision to honor him the best and most genuine way I knew how … privately … the way that made me feel the closest to him.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Brooke also shared a carousel of snaps of herself at the beach with husband — former NHLer Steve Olesky — and their infant twins. 'The only thing missing today was him in is pop up lawn chair watching the waves … and the sunset,' she added. Brooke had been estranged from her father in recent years, but recently revealed that they had recent phone conversations relating to some of his health issues. 'Daddy, we honored you in the simplest way that agreed with my soul,' she wrote. 'Molly loved the water. I think she'll be a 'little fish' as you called me.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hulk Hogan's funeral service took place at the Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo, Fla., with many relatives and friends in attendance. Bam Margera, a former pro skater and Jackass star, attended and shared a sign that the Hulkster may have been looking down on the service from above. Margera posted a snap of a cloud formation appearing to mimic Hogan's signature pose — flexing his right arm while pointing skyward with his left. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hulk Hogan died on July 24 at age 71 from an acute myocardial infarction — otherwise known as a heart attack — as per the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center. Per the records, the pro wrestling icon also had a history of leukemia CLL, a type of cancer that affects white blood cells called lymphocytes — which had not previously been reported. Read More World Celebrity Columnists Golf Television
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CTV News
2 hours ago
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Brooke Hogan and Hulk Hogan during the 47th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California in 2005. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images via CNN Newsource Brooke Hogan Oleksy may not have honoured her father Hulk Hogan in the most traditional of ways, but she wants her followers and his fans to know how she did remember the legendary wrestler. 'My father hated the morbidity of funerals. He didn't want one,' she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post shared Tuesday in reference to the elder Hogan, who died last month at the age of 71. 'And although I know people grieve in many ways - and I'm so grateful for all celebrations and events organized to honor him, as his daughter, I had to make my own decision to honor him the best and most genuine way I knew how…privately…the way that made me feel the closest to him.' That way, she explained, turned out to be 'in the simplest way that agreed with my soul.' 'We took our babies to the beach, and put them in the same salty waters you loved,' Hogan Oleksy wrote. The post included a series of photos showing her, her husband Steven Oleksy and their infant twins enjoying a day at the beach. She wrote in the caption that 'the only thing missing today was him in is pop up lawn chair watching the waves…' Hulk Hogan Brooke Hogan, Nick Hogan, Hulk Hogan, and Linda Hogan at Vento Restaurant in New York City on June 21, 2005. Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic/Getty Images via CNN Newsource The younger Hogan appeared with her father, brother Nick and mother Linda on the VH1 reality series 'Hogan Knows Best' which ran from 2005 to 2007. Hogan Oleksy has been out of the spotlight for years and privately married Steven Oleksy, a former professional hockey player, in 2022. The couple welcomed fraternal twins, Oliver and Molly, in January 2025. The daughter of the wrestling great reportedly became estranged from her parents over the years and in March 2025 her mother Linda, whose divorce from Hulk Hogan was finalized in 2009, posted a since-deleted video saying her daughter no longer spoke to her or her ex-husband. In responding to her mother's claims, Hogan Oleksy wrote in a statement posted on social media at the time that she ordinarily tries to avoid speaking publicly, 'But I have my own family now and it's affecting more than just me at this point.' 'No contact with my Mom has nothing to do with my Dad, and no contact with my Father has nothing to do with my Mother,' she wrote. 'This also pertains to to my Dad's second and third, now current wife. This decision was made based purely on how they have each dealt with me directly my entire life.' Following her father's death, Hogan Oleksy also shared a statement revealing that despite controversy and public misconceptions, the bond with her father 'has never broken, not even in his final moments.'
