Hulk Hogan Dead at 71 from Cardiac Arrest

[Kemo]

Professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan has died at age 71 following a cardiac arrest at his Clearwater, Florida home early Thursday morning, according to TMZ Sports.

Emergency medics were dispatched to the WWE legend’s residence with operators confirming the call was regarding a “cardiac arrest.” Multiple police cars and EMTs were reportedly stationed outside Hogan’s home, with the wrestling icon being carried on a stretcher into an ambulance.

Recent Health Struggles

The news comes just weeks after Hogan’s wife Sky publicly denied rumors that the wrestling legend was in a coma, stating his heart was “strong” as he recovered from recent surgeries. Hogan had undergone a neck procedure in May 2025, with previous reports suggesting he was dealing with post-surgical complications rather than life-threatening conditions.

Last month, rumors circulated about Hogan being on his “deathbed,” but sources close to the family indicated he was simply managing symptoms from his neck surgery recovery.

The Man Who Transformed Wrestling

Terry Gene Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, revolutionized professional wrestling by transforming it from a niche entertainment form into mainstream family sport. Before Hogan’s rise to prominence, wrestling catered to a relatively narrow audience. His theatrical persona and magnetic ring presence attracted children and their parents alike, supercharging the sport’s popularity throughout the 1980s and beyond.

Hogan’s impact on wrestling culture cannot be overstated. His trademark yellow and red attire, handlebar mustache, and catchphrases like “Whatcha gonna do, brother?” became synonymous with professional wrestling’s golden era.

From Hero to Hollywood Villain

In 1996, Hogan shocked the wrestling world by transforming from beloved hero to despised villain, creating the New World Order (NWO) and becoming “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan. This character reinvention propelled both Hogan and professional wrestling to even greater heights of fame and cultural relevance.

The NWO storyline became one of wrestling’s most successful angles, helping to launch the “Monday Night Wars” between WWE and WCW that defined late 1990s wrestling entertainment.

Hall of Fame Legacy

Hogan’s wrestling career was recognized with his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. However, his career faced controversy when he was removed from the Hall of Fame in 2015 following the emergence of racist comments made during a secretly recorded encounter. The incident led to a successful lawsuit against Gawker Media.

WWE reinstated Hogan to the Hall of Fame in 2020, this time as a member of the NWO, acknowledging both his individual contributions and his role in one of wrestling’s most influential storylines.

Beyond the Ring

Hogan’s influence extended far beyond professional wrestling. His movie career began in 1982 with a memorable role as Thunderlips in “Rocky III,” leading to starring roles in films like “No Holds Barred,” “Suburban Commando,” and “Mr. Nanny.”

Television audiences knew him through the hit VH1 reality series “Hogan Knows Best,” which featured his family life with then-wife Linda and children Nick and Brooke, bringing the wrestling legend into American living rooms in an entirely different context.

A Wrestling Revolution

Hulk Hogan’s death marks the end of an era for professional wrestling. His ability to connect with audiences across generational lines helped establish wrestling as a legitimate form of mainstream entertainment. From headlining the first WrestleMania to his recent appearances promoting his Real American Beer brand, Hogan remained a central figure in wrestling culture for over four decades.

The wrestling community and fans worldwide are now mourning the loss of a true icon who helped shape the industry into what it is today. Hogan’s legacy as the man who brought professional wrestling to the masses will undoubtedly endure long after his passing.

[LionDen]

WWE have sent out a statement.

“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.”

[LionDen]

Believed to be one of the last, if not the last known photo of Hulk Hogan.

[Kemo]

Full statement from WWE.com

WWE is saddened to learn that Terry Bollea, recognized globally as Legendary WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, has passed away on July 24 at 71.

One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition with the Hulkamania craze of the 1980s and reignited sports-entertainment’s popularity in the 1990s through his leadership of the New World Order in WCW. Whether he was a hero or villain, clad in red and yellow or black and white, The Hulkster was always one of the ring’s most popular and enduring stars.

Hogan abandoned a career in music with his Tampa, Fla.-based band, Ruckus, when he was discovered by WWE Hall of Famers Jack and Gerry Brisco. In 1977, Hogan began training with Hiro Matsuda, who intentionally broke Hogan’s lower leg just to see if he was passionate enough to return to training in the ring or would instead return to playing bass guitar.

A year later on Aug. 10, 1977, Hogan had his first match against B. Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Fla., for Championship Wrestling from Florida. Hogan competed under a mask as Super Destroyer in Florida and then teamed with his friend Ed Leslie (who would become Brutus Beefcake) as brothers Terry and Ed Boulder in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. It was after appearing on a local talk show in Memphis with TV’s Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, that he began calling himself Terry “The Hulk” Boulder because he was so much larger than Ferrigno.

He first appeared in WWE in 1979 and was named Hulk Hogan by Vincent J. McMahon. As a villain, Hogan defeated (the future Million Dollar Man) Ted DiBiase in his first match at Madison Square Garden, challenged Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship, and collided with Andre the Giant eight years before WrestleMania III in August 1980 at New York City’s Shea Stadium.

After appearing in "Rocky III," Hogan spent the next three years competing for Verne Gagne’s AWA and Antonio Inoki’s New Japan Pro Wrestling. Hogan then made the move to WWE where he defeated The Iron Sheik to become to WWE Champion on Jan. 23, 1984, beginning a pop culture craze that would be known as Hulkamania.

For nearly a decade, WWE and Hulkamania’s footprints grew together. WWE expanded to nationally syndicated television, then pay-per-per-view, with Hogan headlining in a litany of classics, including teaming with television’s biggest star, Mr. T, at the first WrestleMania and defeating Andre the Giant in front of more than 93,000 fans at WrestleMania III.

All told, Hulk Hogan racked up an unprecedented five WWE Championships, main-evented WrestleMania eight times, and sold millions of T-shirts, toys and anything else you could imagine bearing the red and yellow before leaving WWE in August 1993.

The Hulkster planned on putting his full-time sports-entertainment days behind him and started a career as a television star on the syndicated “Thunder in Paradise.” However, it wasn’t long until he was drawn into sports-entertainment again, this time by “Nature Boy” Ric Flair and new WCW Executive Producer Eric Bischoff. Using Turner Broadcasting’s budget, Bischoff signed Hogan to a seven-figure, part-time contract. In his debut match, Hogan, with Mr. T in his corner and Shaquille O’Neal at ringside, defeated Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the Bash at the Beach pay-per-view in Orlando, Fla.

After two years of dominating his competition, Hogan did the unthinkable when he betrayed both WCW fans and WCW heroes Sting, Lex Luger and Randy Savage by joining The Outsiders, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, to form the New World Order. The nWo was WCW’s greatest weapon in the Monday Night War pitting WCW’s Nitro against WWE’s Monday Night Raw. During his six years with WCW, Hogan won six WCW World Heavyweight Championships.

Almost one year after the demise of WCW, Hogan, Hall and Nash returned to WWE as the reviled nWo in February 2002. While his third stay in WWE lasted less than two years, Hogan was once again embraced by the WWE Universe during his match against The Rock at WrestleMania X8 and later won his sixth WWE Championship from Triple H at Backlash 2002.

In 2005, The Hulkster was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his Rocky III co-star and friend, Sylvester Stallone, and appeared at WrestleMania 21 the following night.

In 2014, The Hulkster again returned to WWE and was the host of WrestleMania 30. The historic event began with Hogan, The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, arguably the three most famous sports-entertainers of all time, together in the ring to the delight of more than 75,000 WWE fans from all 50 states and 37 countries at New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome, with millions more watching the first WrestleMania to air live on WWE Network.

There are few names more synonymous with sports-entertainment than Hulk Hogan, as the larger-than-life icon was a central figure in WWE’s rise from a regional attraction to the worldwide entertainment leader. The Hulkster’s superhuman size and undeniable charisma helped him reach heights once unthinkable in sports and entertainment, as Hogan packed 93,173 fans into the Pontiac Silverdome for WrestleMania III, won six WWE Championships, starred in movies and set the standard for what a WWE Superstar could be.

WWE extends its condolences to Bollea’s family, friends and fans.