Hulk Hogan Dead At 71 Amid Cardiac Arrest
WWE legend and two-time Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) has died at the age of 71 amid rampant speculation about his health. The genre-defining wrestler had been hospitalized with conflicting reports regarding his condition.
'If you did some sniffing around, you might find him at a hospital near you. And it's not good,' said radio host and Hogan's former friend Bubba the Love Sponge. 'I got some pretty reliable information last night that there are phone calls being made to various family members about getting to town to come say your goodbyes.'
A representative for Hogan later denied these reports, saying he's just dealing with more of the same ailments he's had for years, and that Hogan was back to moving around in his bed.
This week, Hogan's longtime confidant Jimmy Hart also shot down Hogan death rumors.
'He's definitely not in a coma!' said Hart. 'His heart is strong, and there was never any lack of oxygen or brain damage… none of those rumors are true.'
'He's been recovering from a major four-level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF), which is an intense surgery with a long and layered healing process. If you look it up, you'll see what the last six weeks have involved… not just for his spine, but also for his vocal cords, and the eating/breathing tubes that are clamped over during surgery. We've been in and out of the hospital to support that recovery."
Hulk Hogan Tragically Dies At 71
TMZ reported that medics were dispatched to Hogan's home early Thursday morning, with operators stating it was regarding cardiac arrest. After a long career where Hogan was ubiquitous as the face of WWE and pro wrestling, surgeries became the norm for the former six-time WWE champion. It was easy to believe that Hogan's recent medical issues were just more of the same, but the wrestling icon shockingly passed away.
Hulk Hogan is the most recognizable face in the history of pro wrestling. A brand unto himself, Hogan was to WWE what generational figures like Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Michael Jackson were to their genres. Alongside Vince McMahon, Hogan was instrumental in catapulting WWE to the mainstream in the 80s during the Rock 'N' Wrestling Era.
Hogan was in the midst of promoting Real American Freestyle, a business venture alongside Eric Bischoff. As of this writing, the promotion is set to debut its first show on August 30.
Hogan became somewhat of a pariah toward the end of his life after making racist remarks on surveillance in leaked footage stemming from his infamous 2012 sex tape where Hogan was secretly recorded. His final appearance in WWE was on Raw's January 6 broadcast—their first show with Netflix—where an Inglewood crowd booed him out of the building.
'It's kind of weird, because a lot of people forget that professional wrestling is a work,' said Hogan in our interview in May. 'I've seen The Rock in Vegas. I love him to death. I've seen The Rock in Vegas, I've seen The Rock in LA, and they booed him out of the building. Hulk Hogan goes to LA, they boo him out of the building and everybody, bam, what is it? 3.2 billion interactions or something? Just crazy numbers.'
'A lot of people have advice and a lot of people have opinions about why I got booed or stuff that I should fix or not fix,' Hogan continued. "But then I'll go to New York or I'll go to Chicago and they'll cheer me out of the building and I should probably turn to those same people that gave me advice for their opinions before and ask them, "what do I do about people cheering me now?" And so I'm so used to being cheered or booed, it's kind of like if you don't get a reaction, there's a serious, serious problem."
Hogan is survived by his wife Sky Daily and his children Brooke and Nick.
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