US professional wrestler Hulk Hogan dies aged 71
The Florida native became a household name around the world in the 1980s with the WWF, headlining early WrestleMania events.
He also built a career as a Hollywood actor, along with selling his image widely in advertising and as merchandise.
TMZ reported that the wrestler died of 'cardiac arrest', citing the emergency call.
READ MORE
His family confirmed the death to Us Weekly.
Hogan, born Terry Bollea, began his career in the ring in 1977, travelling to different territories in the US, including Florida, Memphis and Minneapolis, as well as spells in Japan.
However, his career took off from 1983 when he began to wrestle consistently for the World Wrestling Federation, whipping up 'Hulkamania' among his fans and developing a large following.
His rivalry with the 7'4″ French wrestler Andre the Giant helped to make him an international star as he headlined eight of the first nine WrestleMania events.
After time out to develop his Hollywood career, he returned to the ring at World Championship Wrestling, a rival promotion, in the 1990s, joining the villainous NWO.
His in-ring appearances became sporadic in the 2000s, but he remained in the spotlight through Hogan Knows Best, a reality TV show depicting daily life for his family.
In 2016, he received a $31m settlement from the US website Gawker after he sued over the publication of sections of a sex tape featuring Hogan, effectively shutting down the publication.
He later campaigned for Donald Trump, speaking at rallies.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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Irish Times
22 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Gwyneth: The Biography review - Gwyneth Paltrow's world is notoriously hard to break into. This book takes a shot
Gwyneth: The Biography Author : Amy Odell ISBN-13 : 9781805465713 Publisher : Atlantic Guideline Price : €15.99 Gwyneth: The Biography opens, where else, with the vaginal egg, an episode that has come to stand for Paltrow's general ability to sell dumb ideas to credulous rich women using widespread mockery as her marketing rocket fuel. (In case you need a reminder: this was the $66 jade egg Paltrow sold via her lifestyle brand Goop that promised various health benefits upon insertion.) Amy Odell's book, billed as delivering 'insight and behind-the-scenes details of Paltrow's relationships, family, friendships, iconic films', as well as her creation of Goop, takes no particular stand on this, nor on many of Paltrow's more divisive episodes, instead offering us what feels like an earnest jog back through the actor and wellness guru's years of fame. The author writes in the acknowledgments that she spoke to 220 people for the book, in which case we have to assume that a great many of them had little to say. To be fair to Odell, whose previous biography was of Anna Wintour , another difficult and controlling subject – although Wintour did give Odell some access – Paltrow's world is notoriously hard to break into if she's not on board with a project; the author quotes numerous hacks tasked with profiling Paltrow for magazines who found themselves iced out of her networks, and the same happens to Odell in the early stages of research. Odell's task only gets harder in the second half of the book, which tackles the Goop years. Since, she claims, many of its staff signed NDAs, those sections lack even the modest stream of gossip that enlivens the first half. [ I'm pulling the Goop plug – no jade eggs are going in my yoni Opens in new window ] Which, by the way, is perfectly enjoyable. I ripped through Odell's account of Paltrow's youth as the simultaneously indulged and benignly neglected daughter of two show business big guns, the actor Blythe Danner and the producer and director Bruce Paltrow. Danner is prim and unemotional; Bruce Paltrow is more demonstrative but still emotionally evasive, and Odell reheats some well-documented episodes between father and daughter, such as the trip they made to Paris when Paltrow was about 10, during which Bruce told her: 'I wanted you to see Paris for the first time with a man who will always love you, no matter what.' (Paltrow, in interviews, has always offered up this story as a moving tribute to her dad's love for her.) Odell also tells us the (I think) new detail that, when Paltrow was older, 'her dad once gave her lace underwear as a gift'. It's a small addition but it stands out against what feels like the book's trove of reconstituted material. In 1984, when Paltrow was 12, the family moved from LA to New York . 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Irish Times
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The Naked Gun review: Liam Neeson a bit of a puzzle amid big dumb fun
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Irish Independent
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Hulk Hogan's son joins WWE wrestlers in emotional tribute to his father
Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, died last Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest at the age of 71. He is survived by Nick, 35, and estranged daughter Brooke, 37, whom he shared with his first ex-wife, Linda. An emotional Nick was joined by his wife, Tana Lea, and a number of WWE superstars at the beginning of WWE's flagship show Raw to commemorate Hogan. The episode was broadcast from Detroit and streamed on Netflix. Nick could be seen wiping tears away from his face during the heartfelt moment. Other notable faces present during the tribute included top WWE stars such as CM Punk, Gunther, Jey Uso, Iyo Sky and Dominik Mysterio. Eric Bischoff, who worked for WWE between 2002 and 2007 and was a close friend and business associate of Hogan's, also appeared during the salute to the 71-year-old. Addressing the crowd, WWE's chief content officer, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, said: 'He [Hogan] captivated millions of people and inspired them around the globe. 'We would not be standing here right now – all of us together – if it was not for him.'' This was the second time that WWE had honoured Hogan's legacy on TV since his death on 24 July. Friday's episode of SmackDown also featured a 10-bell salute to the former world champion, as well as a video package that Levesque narrated. Nick Hogan previously wrote a heartfelt tribute to his father on Saturday (26 July). 'This has been overwhelming and extremely difficult,' he wrote on his Instagram, alongside a carousel of images of him and his father throughout the years. The first image featured the pair in matching red and yellow shirts when Nick was a young boy. 'Hearing so many kind words and stories about my dad's life, interactions and experiences with everyone has been incredible and comforting,' he added. Remembering Hogan as the 'most incredible person I've ever known' and his 'forever hero,' he called him the 'most kind, loving and amazing father anybody could ask for.' 'I feel so blessed to have had the greatest dad in the world,' Nick wrote. 'He was not only the best dad but also my mentor and my best friend. He always has been my best friend and I love him and miss him more than I could ever explain.' Hogan skyrocketed to fame in the 1980s, bringing professional wrestling into the mainstream. He went on to become an eight-time WrestleMania headliner and six-time World Wrestling Entertainment champion, in addition to an actor and reality television personality. He was also embroiled in controversy throughout his career. A sex tape scandal and racist remarks clouded his reputation and left him asking fans for forgiveness. The former wrestler also became a fixture during President Donald Trump's 2024 re-election campaign, appearing at the Republican National Convention to appeal to voters.
