Clearwater police say they don’t think Hulk Hogan’s death is suspicious
Clearwater police in Florida say a standard death investigation is ongoing in the death of wrestler Hulk Hogan, but there are no indications of foul play.
WWE Icon Hulk Hogan passed away at the age of 71.
The news was first reported by TMZ on Thursday, July 24th. WWE confirmed the news.
“WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Fame Hulk Hogan has passed away,” the company said in a statement. “One of the most famous figures of pop culture, Hogan helped WWE become globally recognized in the 1980s. WWE is fond of sadness to Hogan’s family, friends and fans.”
Florida’s Clearwater Police Department said in a statement that it responded to a medical call at its Clearwater Beach residence at 9:51 a.m. due to a reported cardiac arrest. Firefighters and police personnel responded to the scene and he was treated on site before being taken to Morton Factory Hospital.
The death of Hogan, the legal name Terry Borea, comes days after rumors spread on social media about his health. Hogan’s best friend, Jimmy Hart, said on July 22 that he’s “doing amazing things.”
Hogan influenced the rise of wrestling around the world and was WWE’s first major star. After a short stint at WWE in the late 1970s, he rejoined the company in 1983 after Vince McMahon gained ownership of the business. After that, “Hulkamania” quickly became the most popular star in the company, and perhaps the star of all wrestling. His nationwide persona and his heroic abilities cheered his fans on him, and he was one of the first wrestlers with a bigger vibe than life. His entrance song, “Real American,” became one of the first known wrestling songs.
Hogan’s popularity spread beyond wrestling, and he appeared in television shows and films.
Hogan’s stardom grew as WWE became the dominant wrestling company. He came in his most iconic moment with Wrestle Mania 3 in 1987. He introduced his most iconic moments to defend the world’s heavyweight championship against his longtime rival Andre the Giant.
Hogan made waves outside of WWE outside of WWE, in favor of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) for popularity and ultimately competed with WWE. There he was part of the famous New World Order, one of the greatest factions in the history of wrestling.
Hulk Hogan died at 71
Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan was WWE’s first major star and six-time WWE champion.
After WWE acquired WCW, Hogan returned to WWE and adopted the “Hollywood” Hogan Persona as his heel, including his famous showdown with Rock at Wrestle Mania 18 in 2002.
McMahon forgot Hogan in a statement shared on social media on Thursday.
“The world has lost its treasure today,” McMahon said in a statement. “Hulk Hogan was the greatest WWE superstar of all time and loved and admired all over the world.
Despite all the accomplishments of wrestling, Hogan was involved in several scandals both in and out of the ring. He testified in the US v. McMahon case in 1994, where he admitted to taking steroids, but McMahon did not distribute them. In 2015 he got caught up in tapes and made comments about races that severely hurt popularity and legacy. WWE distanced himself from Hogan in Fallout, but he eventually returned to appearing at the company in 2018.
He made his last appearance on WWE at the Netflix debut of Monday Night Raw in Inglewood, California in January.
He is a six-time WWE champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame once in 2005 and twice in 2020 as part of the New World Order.
(This story will be updated with more information.)
