Linda Hogan has made her first public comments following the sudden death of her ex-husband, WWE legend Hulk Hogan.
Linda, 65, who was married to Hulk (whose real name is Terry Bollea) from 1983 to 2009, called his death a “big surprise” in an Instagram comment left on an earlier post shared days before he died July 24 at age 71.
“I had no idea he would pass away this soon. We all really thought he would make a come back! Big surprise. We are all devastated. It’s hitting me so hard. I loved Hulkster more than he loved me,” she wrote.
“It hurt when he cheated. But he was sooo famous. I sort of [understood] but it was crushing. It hurt. I [never] got over him or started a real relationship w anyone .. I missed HIM!” she added.
“I’ve been weeping all day. The finality. It’s just shocking,” Linda continued. “We spent every minute together for so many years. I’ve known him since he was 28 yrs old! I was 22. I still love him.”
The exes shared two children, 37-year-old Brooke and 34-year-old Nick. While Brooke became estranged from both of her parents in recent years, Nick remained close with Hulk.
“Even tho I never spoke or saw him, Nick did .. and Nick would tell me things and vice versa. Just news about life,” Linda said. “I still felt .. although broken .. we still were a family. It’s so hard to know he’s just gone I tried to stay strong for Nick .. but I’m melting down now. It’s very sad. I love you Hulkster. You were my man. The only man for me.”
After starring together on the reality TV show Hogan Knows Best, Linda filed for divorce from Hulk in 2007, amid accusations that he cheated on her with one of Brooke’s friends. Hulk denied the allegations, calling her claims a “pathetic plea for attention.”
After finalizing their divorce in 2009, Linda told The Tampa Bay Tribune: “The war is over.” The interview came after she and her ex had a court hearing, where she gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek.
“I still love him. He’s the father of my children,” she added.
However, Linda later made multiple claims about her ex-husband — who remarried twice — and how their split has affected their family.
In March 2025, she posted a video on her Instagram Stories of herself crying, as reported by E! News, and said: “It’s been 15, however long years since I left Hulk Hogan, and my family is the worst mess.”
After accusing her ex-husband of being a “complete liar” and “sex addict,” she claimed he was the reason why she had been estranged from daughter Brooke for eight years.
“Brooke doesn't talk to us,” she said. “She's had twins. She got married, she didn't tell us… She had a huge fight with Terry. I don't know how that reflected onto me, but she cut me out too.”
During an interview with TMZ days later, Linda clarified that she thought Hulk was “always a good father,” despite being “a s*** husband sometimes.”
“[He] spent probably over $3 million on Brooke's career, with no questions asked,” she said, before she emphasized that Hulk was “a fantastic person.”
“Our marriage didn’t work out, but what Brooke's doing to us is completely unprecedented, unexpected and unfair and not true,” she added. “Hulk Hogan, my ex, has been really distraught and saddened by her distance, just as I and her brother Nick have as well.”
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