Terry Bollea, the legendary professional wrestler widely known by 'Hulk Hogan', has died at the age of 71 following a reported cardiac arrest.
The news broke after medics responded early Thursday morning to his home in Clearwater, Florida, where they found Hogan suffering from a cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead by the time he reached the hospital.
Hogan, who underwent neck surgery recently and reportedly experienced complications from the procedure, was a major figure in professional wrestling during the 1980s and 1990s.
He competed in what was then the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) and held the world title multiple times. His popularity was dubbed "Hulkamania," which led to mainstream success through movies, commercials, and television appearances.
Due to the steroid abuse scandal that affected the WWF, Hogan left the company and joined their rival, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), in 1994, quickly becoming a main eventer.
Despite his tremendous draw, Hogan faced allegations from industry insiders that he held other talent back to maintain his prominence, even after his athletic prime ended.
After the WWF purchased WCW in 2001, Hogan returned to the federation and competed on and off for several years, later transitioning into a non-wrestling role due to injuries and wear-and-tear on his body.
Hogan has been open about his religious beliefs, sharing in a 2013 interview with Oprah that amid personal trials, he “realized all that stuff — the peace, love, the joy, that still, small voice, the energy, that God presence — is part of who I’m meant to be.”
According to a tweet Hogan posted in April, he had originally accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior when he was a teenager.
He wrote, “I accepted Christ as my savior at 14yrs old, and the training, prayers and vitamins kept me in the game but now that I am one with God, the main event theme of surrender, service and love makes me the Real Main Event that can slam any giant of any size through the power of my Lord and Savior and so it is, even now brother, AMEN!”
In December 2023, Hogan announced on social media that he and his third wife, Sky Daily Hogan, had been baptized at a special ceremony at Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Florida. He shared on Twitter, “Total surrender and dedication to Jesus is the greatest day of my life. No worries, no hate, no judgment … only love.”
