Florida: Hulk Hogan, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea, has died at the age of 71, according to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Police in Clearwater, Florida, responded to a cardiac arrest call at the wrestling star’s residence on July 24. Hospital staff pronounced Hogan dead shortly after arrival.
With a towering build, trademark blond hair, moustache, and iconic catchphrases, Hogan became a pop culture icon. WrestleMania III in 1987 remains legendary for the body slam of the 7-foot-4 André the Giant before a sold-out Pontiac Silverdome crowd.
Born in Georgia in 1953 and raised in Florida, the future superstar trained in local wrestling circles during the 1970s. A focus on weight training and admitted steroid use produced the famous ’24-inch pythons’. The ‘Hulk’ name came from Marvel Comics comparisons, leading to years of royalties paid.
World Championship Wrestling in the 1990s brought a reinvention as ‘Hollywood Hogan’, leading the rebellious New World Order faction. A major return to WWE followed, including a blockbuster match at WrestleMania in 2002 against Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Support for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign brought headlines again, echoing the decades-old ties when Trump hosted headline WrestleMania events in the 1980s.
Controversies shaped the final chapters too. A lawsuit win against Gawker came after a leaked sex tape, resulting in a USD 140 million payout. WWE suspended the wrestling star in 2015 for a racial slur heard on a secret recording but lifted the ban in 2018.
Induction into the WWE Hall of Fame came twice, cementing an unmatched legacy in sports entertainment. Vince McMahon called Hulk Hogan a trailblazer who drew millions to wrestling worldwide and inspired generations to ‘train, take vitamins and say prayers’.
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