Hulk Hogan, Wrestling Icon Who Defined “Hulkamania,” Dies at 71

The Larger-Than-Life Superstar, Hulk Hogan, Who Leapt from the Ring to Pop Culture Fame, Passes Away After Cardiac Arrest

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Clearwater, FL: The world of professional wrestling and pop culture is mourning the loss of a true titan. Hulk Hogan, the larger-than-life figure who single-handedly launched pro wrestling into the stratosphere and became arguably the biggest star the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) ever saw, passed away on Thursday in Clearwater, Florida. He was 71 years old.

The WWE confirmed his death but did not immediately reveal the cause. However, local police in Clearwater later stated that Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, suffered cardiac arrest at his home and was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital.

The news comes just three days after an announcement that Fox Nation had secured the rights to air Real American Freestyle, the new wrestling league co-founded by Hogan himself, alongside wrestling executive Eric Bischoff and entrepreneur Chad Bronstein.

In a heartfelt statement, Chad Bronstein, CEO and Co-founder of Real American Freestyle, shared his grief: “We lost our Commissioner. We lost a friend. And the sport of wrestling lost one of its greatest champions, not just in the ring, but in spirit. Hulk Hogan believed wrestling was more than just entertainment. He saw it as a brotherhood, a proving ground and a platform for greatness. That’s what Real American Freestyle was built to be, a new stage for the toughest, most passionate athletes on Earth. And Hulk was at the center of it.”

Bronstein continued, emphasizing Hogan’s dedication to their new venture: “From day one, he threw his weight behind this league. He met with athletes. He watched tape, shared stories, and showed up like only he could. RAF was personal to him, something bigger than all of us. This league is part of his legacy, and we intend to honor it.”

Born on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia, Hogan was a polarizing figure throughout his life, both inside and outside the wrestling ring. Billed at an imposing 6-foot-7 and over 300 pounds, his professional wrestling journey began in the late 1970s. He first joined what was then known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. His initial stint lasted only a couple of years but notably included memorable bouts with legends like Andre the Giant.

After leaving the WWF, he honed his craft grappling in Japan and then in the American Wrestling Association, before making a triumphant return to the WWF in 1983. It was shortly after this return that the global phenomenon known as Hulkamania was born.

Billed as hailing from California’s Venice Beach, where he was a regular at its famed Muscle Beach, Hogan became the cornerstone of the WWF’s mid-1980s golden age. It was a time when both the WWF and Hogan himself transcended sports entertainment to become a genuine pop culture phenomenon. Instantly recognizable with his signature Fu Manchu mustache, bright yellow head scarf, and iconic tear-away shirts, the muscular wrestler secured his first title belt by defeating the formidable uber-heel The Iron Sheik in early 1984. Fans, affectionately known as “Hulkamaniacs,” went absolutely wild.

Around that pivotal time, pop star Cyndi Lauper released her signature hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” The song’s video, which went on to win MTV’s first VMA for Best Female Video, famously featured WWF manager Captain Lou Albano. This crossover moment solidified professional wrestling’s entry into the mainstream zeitgeist, with Hogan firmly seated on its throne.

Hogan’s career was marked by fierce rivalries, most notably with Andre the Giant. In 1985, he was the undisputed showpiece of the WWF’s inaugural WrestleMania — an event that would grow to become the biggest night in all of professional wrestling. Famous for his dramatic, oiled-up flexes and the rallying cry of “Whatcha gonna do, brother?!”, Hogan would reign as the king of the ring for many years. He later made a high-profile move to Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994, where he remained a dominant force for the rest of the decade.

In the early 2000s, Hogan made a brief return to WWE (which was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002 following a lawsuit by the World Wildlife Federation) before moving on to other pro wrestling organizations. He returned to WWE again in 2005 for two years, then bounced between other groups, finally landing back in WWE for a short fourth stint in 2014. He would once again return to WWE in 2018, where he would spend the remainder of his career, making appearances and engaging with fans.

Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, a testament to his incredible impact. However, a decade later, in 2015, a racism scandal involving leaked audio derailed his career. WWE swiftly terminated his contract and stripped him of his Hall of Fame status. He would later be reinstated into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

Just last year, Hogan stirred controversy again when he publicly endorsed Donald Trump for president, making appearances at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in October and on the final night of the Republican National Convention in July. This endorsement drew criticism from fellow outspoken wrestling legend and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. Ventura resurfaced a long-standing story about how Hogan allegedly sabotaged Ventura’s attempt to unionize pro wrestlers in the 1980s. Speaking on MSNBC, Ventura stated that Hogan’s backing of Trump “doesn’t surprise me because when I was in wrestling in the ’80s, I tried to unionize wrestling. It was Hulk Hogan who cut my legs out from under me. Hulk Hogan went to Vince McMahon, ratted me out, and subsequently, later on, cost me my job. It doesn’t surprise me to see Hogan with the Republicans because Hogan is as anti-union as you can get.”

After Trump’s re-election and before his inauguration, Hogan made a surprise appearance on the Netflix debut of Monday Night Raw, the streamer’s first live airing of a WWE event. There to promote his beer brand’s partnership with the wrestling juggernaut, his quick speech in front of an American flag drew audible boos from the audience at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, highlighting his continued polarizing public image.

Another major polarizing event in Hogan’s life was his highly publicized, big-money invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against Gawker. The lawsuit arose after the website posted a 100-second video showing him having sex with Heather Clem, the wife of his best friend. A jury ultimately awarded Hogan a staggering $140 million in damages, a verdict that forced Gawker’s parent company into bankruptcy proceedings. More than a year after the verdict, Hogan and Gawker reached a $31 million settlement that finally brought the long-running saga to an end.

Beyond the wrestling ring, Hogan also maintained a long, if sporadic, acting career. His first major screen role was in 1982’s Rocky III, where he played Thunderlips, the flamboyant pro wrestling champion who grapples with heavyweight champ Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) in a charity match. That film famously also marked the acting debut of Mr. T, who played Rocky’s opponent Clubber Lang and would later become a memorable tag-team partner of Hogan’s in the WWF. Hogan also appeared twice as himself on Mr. T’s hit NBC series The A-Team.

Hogan also made appearances as himself in numerous other films and TV programs, including The Inbetweeners, American Dad!, and the reboots of The Love Boat and Baywatch. He guest-starred on TV series such as Walker Texas Ranger and lent his voice to films like Muppets in Space, Spy Hard, and Gnomeo & Juliet. He also featured in dozens of documentary projects — most recently Netflix’s Mr. McMahon, a 2024 docuseries about WWE founder and longtime executive Vince McMahon — and produced a handful of films, TV shows, and direct-to-video titles.

In 1994, billed as Terry “Hulk” Hogan, he even toplined a syndicated adventure series from the creators of Baywatch called Thunder in Paradise. In the show, he played “Hurricane” Spencer, a former Navy SEAL who runs a beachfront bar and grill while secretly moonlighting as a globe-trotting crimefighter. The series ran for 22 episodes.

In 2019, actor Chris Hemsworth was cast to play Hogan in a biopic for Netflix, with Todd Phillips directing. The film, however, remains unproduced.

Information on survivors was incomplete at the time of this report.