Wrestling icon and pop culture legend Hulk Hogan has died at the age of 71 after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida, early Thursday morning.
According to reports first published by TMZ and confirmed by local authorities, emergency services were dispatched to Hogan’s residence after a 911 call indicated a medical emergency involving cardiac arrest. Paramedics arrived on the scene shortly after 800 AM and transported the WWE Hall of Famer, born Terry Gene Bollea, to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police and EMTs were observed parked outside his Clearwater home as Hogan was wheeled from the property on a stretcher. Despite efforts to revive him at the scene and en route to the hospital, medical personnel were unable to save him.
The shocking news comes just weeks after Hogan underwent a complex cervical spine surgery a four level ACDF procedure to relieve years of chronic pain. At the time, his wife, Sky Daily Hogan, had assured fans that his heart was strong and his condition was stable. Rumors of his declining health had circulated online, but his family and representatives had firmly denied reports of coma or brain damage as recently as mid July.
Known worldwide for his unmistakable handlebar mustache, yellow bandanas, and explosive charisma, Hulk Hogan was more than just a wrestling star he was a cultural phenomenon. Rising to fame in the 1980s during the golden age of professional wrestling, Hogan helped catapult WWE (then WWF) into mainstream popularity. With catchphrases like “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?” and headlining countless WrestleManias, he became one of the most recognizable and influential figures in sports entertainment history.
Hogan’s career spanned more than four decades, including a successful run with WCW in the 1990s where he reinvented himself as the villainous leader of the New World Order (nWo). Beyond the ring, he starred in movies, hosted reality shows, and launched several business ventures, remaining in the public eye long after his in ring career ended.
In recent years, Hogan had been working to launch a new professional wrestling venture Real American Freestyle Wrestling alongside longtime collaborator Eric Bischoff. The league’s debut event had been scheduled for August 30 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tributes have poured in from across the wrestling world and beyond. WWE issued a statement Thursday morning, calling Hogan “one of the most beloved and impactful performers in the history of the sport.” Fellow wrestlers, celebrities, and fans have taken to social media to honor the man many credit with making professional wrestling a global entertainment force.
Hogan is survived by his wife Sky and his two children Brooke and Nick Bollea.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been publicly announced.
