Brooke Hogan shares emotional tribute to father Hulk Hogan following his death, addresses their estrangement
On July 24, the WWE icon, born Terry Gene Bollea, passed away at the age of 71 after he suffered a cardiac event at his Florida home. On Tuesday, Brooke, 37, who was estranged from Hulk at the time of his death, shared an emotional tribute to her father and clarified the circumstances around their rift.
"My dad's blood runs through my veins. His eyes shine through my children. And our bond has never broken, not even in his final moments," Brooke began in a slideshow of written posts that she shared on Instagram.
"We had a connection deeper than words, one that spanned lifetimes," she continued. "I am so grateful I knew the real version of him. Not just the one the world viewed through a carefully curated lens. We shared a quiet, sacred bond, one that could be seen and felt by anyone who witnessed us together. When he left this earth, it felt like part of my spirit left with him. I felt it before the news even reached us."
"He used to remind me, 'All of this is temporary and I'll always find my way back to you. I truly believe that - we will find each other in every lifetime," she added.
"I know he's at peace now, out of pain, and in a place as beautiful as he imagined. He used to speak about this moment with such wonder and hope. Like meeting God was the greatest championship he'd ever have."
Brooke went on to explain that she felt "it was necessary to clear a few things up" regarding how her relationship with Hulk has been portrayed in the media.
"We never had a 'big fight,'" she wrote." "My father and I never 'fought.' It was a series of private phone calls no one will ever hear, know, or understand."
"My father was confiding in me about issues weighing on his heart, both personal and business," Brooke continued. "I offered to be a life raft in whatever capacity he needed. I told him he had my support. I begged him to rest, to take care of himself. He had nothing else to prove to the world or anyone."
Brooke shared that she and her husband, former NHL star Steven Olesky, moved to Florida to be closer to Hulk as he was facing health struggles.
"We had been through almost 25 surgeries together, and then all of a sudden he didn't want me at surgeries…everything started getting covered in a thick veil," Brooke recalled. "It was like there was a force field around him that I couldn't get through."
"He was telling me these things, being so vulnerable with me and heard my pleas, then suddenly something shifted, and he made a choice to walk the path that clearly tore at his spirit," she continued. "I felt a disconnect. What followed were respectful disagreements that took an emotional toll on me."
"During the last two years, I had to step away to protect my heart," Brooke added.
However, Brooke shared that Olesky had maintained contact with Hulk in an effort to repair the relationship between his wife and her father. She explained that Olesky had been "quietly reaching out to my dad without me knowing, trying to find a safe way back in for me. After my father passed, I read those messages, some answered, some ignored….but all of them broke my heart."
"I know in my heart I did everything I could," Brooke wrote. "He knew I would run through a burning building for him. And in many ways, along the path of life, I did. He knows how deeply, how hard and how purely I loved him. I am at peace knowing this"
"All I ever truly wanted from my father was love, honesty, and a deep connection," she added. "And for a few special years, I had that–with memories that will last a lifetime."
"My world is forever changed. But I'm deeply blessed with a loving husband and two beautiful children who remind me every day of life's greatest gifts," Brooke concluded.
Brooke and Olesky, who married in 2022, announced in January 2025 that they had welcomed fraternal twins, son Oliver Andrew and daughter Molly Gene, the latter of whom shares a middle name with Hulk.
Hulk shared Brooke and son Nick, 35, with his ex-wife Linda Hogan. The wrestling star and Linda tied the knot in 1983 but separated in 2007 and finalized their divorce in 2009. The family's life together was documented in the reality TV show "Hogan Knows Best," which ran for four seasons from 2005 to 2007 on VH1. After "Hogan Knows Best" was canceled, Brooke starred in the reality spin-off "Brooke Knows Best" for two seasons from 2008 to 2009.
Rumors of a rift between Brooke and Hulk first sparked in September 2023 after she did not attend her father's wedding when he married his third wife, Sky Daily.
Brooke is also estranged from Linda. In March, Linda claimed she hadn't seen Brooke in over eight years, due to Hulk's behavior. "Brooke doesn't talk to us. She had twins, she got married [and] she didn't tell us."
After Linda blamed Hulk for the family's rift, Brooke fired back on Instagram and explained that she didn't speak to her mother or father for separate reasons.
"Each individual, on their own, has given me more than enough reasons over the years to make this extremely hard and painful decision to end contact," Brooke wrote in part in a lengthy statement that she shared on Instagram at the time.
"As much as I not only understand and have empathy for their own struggles, I absolutely LOVE them with every fiber of my being – which deep down I think they know. My heart hurts every day, and not a day passes it does not affect me. Inside of me, there is a little girl who desperately wants and needs her Mom and Dad."
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