Hulk Hogan, the wrestling legend who propelled the game from a preferred pastime to a ubiquitous popular culture phenomenon on a wave of “Hulkamania” earlier than turning into a right-wing hero, has died on the age of 71.
Darren Prince, Hogan’s longtime agent, confirmed the wrestler’s loss of life to Rolling Stone. Hogan died Thursday in Clearwater, Florida after paramedics responded to a “cardiac arrest” name on the wrestler’s house, CNN reports. Hogan was transported to a close-by hospital the place he was pronounced useless. In latest weeks, although, he was reportedly on his “deathbed” following surgical procedure earlier this month, although these near him dispelled these rumors.
“WWE is saddened to study WWE Corridor of Famer Hulk Hogan has handed away,” the corporate mentioned in a statement. “One of popular culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE obtain international recognition within the Eighties. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s household, associates, and followers.”
The Georgia-born wrestler born Terry Bollea started wrestling professionally within the mid-Nineteen Seventies in Florida wrestling circuits underneath monikers just like the Tremendous Destroyer and Terry Boulder. In 1979, Bollea was launched to then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) proprietor Vince McMahon, who introduced on Bollea and helped coin the identify “Hulk Hogan,” named partly for to his hulking 6’7″ physique and its similarity to the “Unimaginable” comedian e-book hero.
Within the early Eighties, Hogan — then a villainous character —cut up his time between the WWF (the place his battles with Andre the Large helped increase the corporate’s recognition) and the New Japan Professional-Wrestling, competing for championships in each leagues. Following a two-year stint within the American Wrestling Affiliation, Hogan rejoined the WWF, and “Hulkamania” was born.
The bandana-wearing, shirt-ripping Hogan quickly turned the WWF’s marquee star, renewing his rivalry with Andre the Large, going through off towards the likes of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and headlining the corporate’s first-ever WrestleMania.
It’s arduous to overstate the influence and recognition Hogan had on each the game and in style tradition writ massive, turning into a hero to tens of millions of followers, particularly youngsters. At his peak, Hulk might be seen on Saturday morning cartoons, in music, in commercials, and on workout tapes. Oversaturation didn’t exist, as “Say your prayers and eat your nutritional vitamins” turned a nationwide catchphrase.
Hogan’s success within the ring led to alternatives on the massive display, together with roles in movies like Rocky III (as a wrestler named Thunderlips) and a memorable cameo in Gremlins 2: The New Batch. As main man, Hogan starred within the 1989 wrestling drama No Holds Barred, the 1991 sci-fi motion movie Suburban Commando, and the household comedy Mr. Nanny.
Over the following twenty years, Hogan bounced across the now-WWE and World Championship Wrestling, the place he adopted a heel persona dubbed “Hollywood Hogan.” An inductee into the WWE Corridor of Fame, Hogan remained within the wrestling orbit till his loss of life, whereas additionally spinning off into music, merchandising, and actuality tv.
“I’m completely shocked to listen to concerning the passing of my shut pal Hulk Hogan,” Ric Aptitude, who wrestled alongside and towards Hogan, wrote on social media Thursday. “Hulk has been by my aspect since we began within the wrestling enterprise. An unimaginable athlete, expertise, pal, and father! Our friendship has meant the world to me. He was at all times there for me even after I didn’t ask for him to be. He was one of many first to go to me after I was within the hospital with a 2% likelihood of dwelling, and he prayed by my bedside…Hulkster, nobody will ever examine to you! Relaxation in peace my pal!”
In the 2010s, Hogan found himself in the thick of a completely different, but no less sensational fight: A legal battle with the website Gawker, which had revealed a part of a intercourse tape that includes Hogan and Heather Clem, the spouse of Florida shock jock, and former Hogan pal, Bubba the Love Sponge. The encounter itself befell in 2006, and in 2011, Hogan mentioned the tryst — which he mentioned had taken place with Bubba’s data and encouragement — on The Howard Stern Present.
Bubba had additionally recorded the encounter, burning the video to a DVD, writing “Hogan” on it, and reportedly stashing it in his desk. Whereas nobody was presupposed to see the video, it will definitely leaked, and in October 2012, Gawker revealed a one-minute-and-41 second excerpt from the 30-minute video. The accompanying submit, written by A.J. Daulerio, was half commentary on internet-era superstar voyeurism, half perfunctory play-by-play.
Hogan sued Gawker in Florida for invasion of privateness, infringement of character rights, and intentional infliction of emotional handle. Whereas Gawker tried to argue it was protected by the First Modification, and that Hogan himself had made his intercourse life a public matter by discussing the encounter with Clem on Howard Stern, the jury finally sided with the wrestler.
Hogan was initially awarded a staggering $140 million in punitive and compensatory damages. And whereas Gawker appealed, in 2016 the case was ultimately settled for $31 million, with Gawker agreeing to take away the submit. By that time, nevertheless, Gawker had filed for chapter and bought itself to Univision.
It had additionally emerged in early 2016 that each Hogan’s authorized battle and others towards Gawker had been being financed by the right-wing tech billionaire Peter Thiel. Thiel had advised The New York Times that the positioning — and specifically its Silicon Valley-focused weblog, Valleywag — had “ruined folks’s lives for no purpose.” (Valleywag had outed Thiel as homosexual within the mid-2000s.)
Within the midst of the appeals course of within the Gawker case, Hogan confronted one other main controversy in 2015 after one other tape leaked, this one containing a racist diatribe that included complaints about his daughter relationship a Black man and liberal use of the n-word. (The recording was reportedly taken from court-sealed tapes within the Gawker case.) Hogan apologized, however the WWE had already determined to terminate his contract and successfully wipe him from the game, eradicating references to him from their web site, pulling merchandise, and even yanking him from the WWE Corridor of Fame.
However the punishment didn’t final lengthy. In 2018, Hogan made his on-screen WWE return and was additionally reinstated into the Corridor of Fame. He continued to make appearances on WWE programming by way of the 2020s, together with his last spot happening earlier this yr when Uncooked made its Netflix debut.
Throughout this last act of his profession, Hogan additionally turned extra concerned in conservative politics. He endorsed Donald Trump for president on quite a few events, even telling TMZ in 2016 that he wished to be Trump’s “working mate.” In 2024, Hogan even spoke at the Republican National Convention, the place he known as Trump “my hero” whereas doing his signature shirt rip.
From Rolling Stone US.