Hulk Hogan Dies at 71 — Details of His Fight for Life

Hulk Hogan, one of the world of wrestling's most famous personalities, has died at 71.

TMZ was first to report the shocking news.

The Clearwater Public Communications Department confirmed to "Extra," "Clearwater Fire Department and Clearwater Police Department personnel responded to a medical call at 9:51 a.m. today in the [address redacted]. The nature of the call was for a cardiac arrest. A 71-year-old resident, Terry Bollea, also known as Hulk Hogan, was treated by Clearwater Fire & Rescue crews before being taken by Sunstar to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased."

Hogan had been rumored to be in ill health for some time. Weeks ago, his young wife, Sky, told reporters that he was not, contrary to rumor, in a coma, but that his heart was strong following procedures related to a neck issue that were performed in May.

She wrote, “He’s been recovering from a major four-level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusin (ACDF), which is an intense surgery with a long and layered healing process. If you look it up, you’ll see what the last six weeks have involved… not just for his spine, but also for his vocal cords, and the eating/breathing tubes that are clamped over during surgery."

“We’ve been in an out of the hospital to support that recovery," she admitted, yet pushed back on fans worrying that Hulk was on his deathbed. "So truly, there’s no need for the drama or panic some people try to stir up. He’s healing and we’re taking it one day at a time with love, strength, and patience.”

Sadly, all the rumors of his steep decline turned out to be true.

Hogan was born Terry Gene Bollea on August 11, 1953, in Augusta Georgia.

He launched his pro wrestling career in 1977, and in 1983 became a household name as one of WWF's biggest stars. Riding high on Reagan-era American pride, his persona carried him to countless widely viewed wins, including becoming the first wrestler to win two Royal Rumbles in a row, as well as becoming a five-time WWF champ and a six-time WCW World Heavyweight Championship winner.

He became a mainstream celebrity as part of the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection with Rowdy Roddy Piper, which incorporated pop singer Cyndi Lauper and fellow wrestler Captain Lou Albano into the shenanigans.

His match against André the Giant in 1988 is the most-watched wrestling match of all time.

Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 for his iconic contributions to the sport, "Hollywood Hulk Hogan" was also no slouch in other fields of entertainment, hosting "Saturday Night Live" (1985), starred in movies including "No Holds Barred" (1989), and made dozens of TV guest appearances.

In spite of being viewed as a hero by many — and being indisputably the most recognizable name in wrestling — Hogan weathered his share of controversies, none more damaging than, or as rewarding as, his lawsuit against the web site Gawker. In 2012, a portion of a sex tape showing Hogan and the estranged wife of Bubba the Love Sponge was shown on Gawker. An audio recording of Hogan making racist comments was part of the evidence, seriously damaging his reputation and leading to a period of estrangement from the WWE.

He sued Gawker for defamation, loss of privacy, and emotional pain with the help of tech innovator Peter Thiel, winning a massive judgment, bankrupting the site in the process.

Having been iced out of the WWE Hall of Fame over his racist remarks, Hogan, who apologized profusely, was welcomed back in by 2018.

Hogan was married to Linda Claridge from 1983-2009. Their union was immortalized on the VH1 reality series "Hogan Knows Best" (2005-2007), which also introduced their children Nick and Brooke Hogan as potential celebrities. Brooke was pursuing a singing career, while Nick was involved in sports driving.

Linda filed for divorce in 2007.

Hogan next married Jennifer McDaniel in 2010, but that union also ended in divorce, in 2021.

Hogan is survived by his third wife, Sky Daily, a yoga instructor to whom he had been wed for just under two years, and by his two children.