Hulk Hogan died at 71
Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan was WWE’s first major star and six-time WWE champion.
Jerry “King” Lawler answered the phone and Jimmy Hart was crying on the other side.
They knew Hulk Hogan more than anyone in the wrestling industry, dating back more than 40 years before Hogan played his earliest match at Memphis’ Mid-South Coliseum. Now they were working on his death.
So the two legends of Pro Wrestling began talking about perhaps the biggest legends of them, and the Hulk Hogan they knew. “No one knew about him,” Lawler told USA Today Sports. “It’s just a sad situation.”
WWE confirmed that Hogan passed away Thursday, July 24th in Clearwater Beach, Florida, at the age of 71. Florida’s Clearwater Police Department said it responded to a medical call at its Clearwater Beach residence at 9:51 a.m. due to a reported cardiac arrest. After being treated on site, Hogan was taken to Morton Factory Hospital, where he was declared deceased.
Hogan, whose real name was Terry Borea, became WWE’s first major star and is believed to have supported the global popularity of fuel pro wrestling with “Hulkamania” in the 1980s. His stardom eventually transcended wrestling rings to film, television and pop culture.
“Wrestling is what it is today and wouldn’t have been the case without Hulk Hogan,” said longtime WWE wrestler and announcer Lawler. “I am 76 and I have been asked many times about who is the biggest name and who is the most important person in wrestling.
Hart, Hogan’s longtime friend and manager, told USA Today Sports he was shocked by the news that Hogan had been dealing with complications from a neck surgery but passed away Thursday morning. Hart wrote on social media two days ago that Hogan was doing “amazing.”
“I’m in such a devastation right now,” Hart said. Hart said he had been getting daily updates from Hogan’s personal assistant. “I still can’t believe it’s true.”
Hart sat in his car in the Tampaña car park staring at the pizza spot across the street as raw emotion poured in, hoping “He’ll leave now and bring me pizza.”
He last spoke with Hogan about two weeks ago, but the conversation ended like he always had between the two. Hart was a member of The Gentrys when he produced his hit song “Keep On Dancing” in 1965.
“When you think about wrestling, you think of Hulk Hogan because everyone grew up with him,” Hart said.
