The era of Hulkamania may never truly end, but its founding father is sadly no longer with us. One of the biggest and most influential pro wrestlers in the history of sports-entertainment, Terry Bollea — better known to fans around the world as Hulk Hogan — is dead. The WWE Hall of Famer was 71 years old.
After weeks of disputed rumors surrounding his current health status, Hogan passed away on the morning of Thursday, July 24, 2025. 9-1-1 operators reported the involvement of a cardiac arrest at his Clearwater, Florida residence, according to TMZ.
EMTs were dispatched to the athlete's home, and it's said that there were a number of police cars and other emergency vehicles parked in front of it. He was carried out of the house on a stretched and loaded into an ambulance. It's unclear at the time of writing exactly when he passed away.
In mid-June, reports surfaced that claimed Hogan was dealing with major complications from a surgical procedure done to his neck in May, which was publicly touted as being a minor situation. Hogan had joked in the past that he'd had so many surgeries in his life that none of his parts were the originals, and has also spoken out about additions to pain meds. Despite that medical history, he reportedly didn't spend much time in recovery mode afterward, and jumped right back into promoting his new wrestling promotion with Eric Bischoff.
Soon after that, the Rocky III co-star was rumored to be on his "deathbed" after his health purportedly dipped in relation to his prior surgery. Hogan's former BFF Bubba the Love Sponge claimed that he was told family and friends were being called in to say their final goodbyes.
However, those reports were said to be overblown and incorrect by members of the athlete's camp, to the point where the day before Hogan died, his former manager Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart, posted on X that all was well, and that Hogan was out on the town the night prior, adding even more confusion.
Hulk is doing great, doing phenomenal! Last night at karaoke with Nick was absolutely fantastic, baby!!!"July 22, 2025
It's unclear exactly what was happening with Hulk Hogan in the weeks prior to his death, and also unclear if and when more details will be offered up.
Widely credited with helping bring worldwide popularity to the floundering world of professional wrestling, Hulk Hogan and longtime WWE CEO Vince McMahon turned Hulkamania into a household name, and solidified sporting pay-per-view events as a new norm.
The athlete went from hocking vitamins to kids and starring in movies like Suburban Commando and Mr. Nanny to selling arguably the biggest heel turn in wrestling history when he joined Kevin Nash and Scott Hall's game-changing nWo (New World Order) faction.
In the last 20 years or so, Hogan bounced from WWE to Memphis Wrestling to TNA and back to the WWE for a stint that infamously crashed and burned in 2015 when a leaked sex tape went public that featured Hogan's repeated use of racial slurs. The WWE temporarily cut ties with the athlete and removed him from the Hall of Fame, but went back on those decisions three years later. Hogan was invited back to Raw in January 2019 to pay tribute to the late Gene Okerlund.
Hogan, who successfully sued Gawker for publishing a clip of his sex tape (putting them out of business), became far more of a legitimately polarizing figure outside of kayfabe in the years before his death, due to both his racist remarks (which he offered public apologies for) and for his politics.
The WWE paid tribute to Hulk Hogan on social media with the following message, and I wouldn't be surprised if more than a few compliation videos are promoted on the company's YouTube and other platforms.
WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s.WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.July 24, 2025
Hogan's new promotion with Eric Bischoff, Real American Freestyle, landed a deal with Fox Nation, and is set to premiere its first televised event on August 30. One can imagine it will kick off with a lengthy tribute to its late co-founder.
The athlete is survived by his third wife Sky Daily, whom he wed in September 2023, as well as his two children from a previous marriage, Brooke and Nick Hogan. The latter pair, along with their father and mother Linda, were all featured on the reality TV show Hogan Knows Best, which aired on VH1 from 2005-2007.
We at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to Hogan's family and friends during their time of mourning.
