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Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hulk Hogan's estranged daughter Brooke reveals why she snubbed WWE legend's funeral
Brooke Hogan, the daughter of late wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, has spoken out after choosing not to attend his funeral on Tuesday. Hogan's devastated friends and family gathered at the Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo, Florida to say their final goodbyes to the WWE legend after his death from a cardiac arrest at age 71. However, Brooke, who shared a tense relationship with her dad towards the end of his life, did not attend the service. Instead, she took the personal decision to celebrate her father's life in her own private way. 'My father hated the morbidity of funerals. He didn't want one,' Brooke, 37, explained on Instagram Tuesday evening. '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 way I knew way that made me feel the closest to him. The only thing missing today was him in is pop up lawn chair watching the waves... and the sunset.' Alongside her emotional caption, Brooke, who welcomed twins - a boy and a girl - wither her husband, ex-NHL player Steven Oleksy in January, shared a series of touching photos of the young family. Earlier in the day, Brooke had announced that she would be taking her children to Hogan's 'favorite place', the beach. And her carousel of photos, showed the twins, Oliver Andrew and Molly Gene, frollicking in the water as she and Oleksy held them along the shore. 'Daddy, we honored you in the simplest, most genuine way that agreed with my soul. We took our babies to the beach, and put them in the same salty waters you loved,' she continued. 'Molly loved the water. I think she'll be a "little fish" as you called me. We love you and honor the things that made you so special. Every grain of sand and every wave reminded me of being your beach baby, and brought us closer to you. I pray you are at peace and know how dearly I love you. 'Rest in heaven, Daddy❤️'
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Hulk Hogan's devastated friends and family gather for WWE legend's funeral after his death
Hulk Hogan 's friends and family gathered in Florida for a memorial service to commemorate the life of the wrestling icon following his death last month. The service is believed to have taken place at Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo, Florida - around seven miles south of Clearwater - on Tuesday. Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, died from a cardiac arrest on July 24 and was also fighting leukemia at the time of his passing. He had been taken ill at his home in Clearwater, Florida before being pronounced dead in hospital. According to his death certificate, he is going to be cremated at Pinellas County Forensic Center in Clearwater, though a specific date has not yet been announced for that. Hogan's death came after weeks of speculation about his health. While he was known to be struggling, he had kept news about his leukemia diagnosis out of the public before his death. Hogan also previously had atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, a report from the District Six Medical Examiner said. He also revealed he had 25 surgeries in the last decade - including 10 back operations, replacements on his knee and hip, and procedures on both shoulders. Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital less than 90 minutes after medics arrived at his home in Clearwater to answer a call about a cardiac arrest on the morning of July 24, police said. The report said the cause of death was 'natural.' 'He had been dealing with some health issues, but I truly believed we would overcome them,' Hogan's wife Sky Daily posted on Instagram. 'This loss is sudden and impossible to process,' she added. 'To the world, he was a legend... but to me, he was my Terry.' Hogan was perhaps the biggest star in WWE's long history, known for both his larger-than-life personality and his in-ring exploits. He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even WWE co-founder Vince McMahon. But outside the the ring, Hogan also found trouble. WWE cut ties with him in 2015 for three years, even removing him from its Hall of Fame, after it was reported that he was recorded using racial slurs. He apologized and said his words were 'unacceptable.' Hogan won at least six WWE championships and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 and reinstated there in 2018. Hogan was also a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including a reality show about his life on VH1, 'Hogan Knows Best.' In recent years, Hogan added his celebrity to politics. At the 2024 Republican National Convention, he merged classic WWE maneuvers with then-candidate Donald Trump's rhetoric to passionately endorse him for president. 'We lost a great friend today, the 'Hulkster,' Trump said on Truth Social after Hogan's death. 'Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way - Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart.' Hogan's son, Nick, had a front row seat at WWE SummerSlam 2025 in New Jersey on Saturday night and appeared to fight tears back when a tribute was made to his father. The tribute showcased photos of Hogan from throughout his WWE career and heaped praise on the 'larger than life' figure and his career inside the squared circle. Cameras then cut to a visibly moved Nick, who applauded while welling up. Meanwhile the wrestler's daughter, Brooke, opened up on her troubled relationship with the wrestling legend in a candid statement in the wake of his death. '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,' she began in a six-page message on social media. 'We had a connection deeper than words, one that spanned lifetimes. 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.' Brooke was estranged from both of her parents for years before he passed and she has taken herself out of her father's will. According to the National Enquirer, Brooke shared a short but heartfelt conversation with her dad in the days before his death. 'It was a tearful conversation, albeit a short one,' an insider told the outlet. 'Brooke told her dad how much she loved him, how much she missed him. Hulk said he loved her, and he was sorry. 'That was huge for Brooke to hear. Everyone knew how stubborn Hulk could be, but his fading health obviously softened him up. He knew he was dying and begged her forgiveness.'
