Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dies at 71

Hulk Hogan, the mustachioed, headscarf-wearing icon in the world of professional wrestling, has died at the age of 71, Florida police and WWE said Thursday.

Authorities in Clearwater, Florida, responded to a call Thursday morning about a cardiac arrest. Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said in a statement on Facebook.

The 6-foot-7 Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was perhaps the biggest star in WWE’s long history. He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon.

He won at least six WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

Hogan was also a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including a reality show about his life on VH1, Hogan Knows Best.

​In 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hogan $115 million in his sex tape lawsuit against Gawker Media and then added $25 million in punitive damages. Hogan sued after Gawker posted a video in 2012 of him having sex with his former best friend’s wife. He contended the post violated his privacy.

Hogan smiled and wore black throughout the three-week trial.

“Everywhere I show up, people treat me like I’m still the champ,” he said of the support from fans.

Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was a 6-foot-7, 300-pound behemoth of an entertainer.

1994 photo by Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

WWE posted a note on X saying it was saddened to learn about Hogan’s death.

“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,” it said.

He was perhaps as well known for his larger-than-life personality as he was for his in-ring exploits. He was beloved for his “promos,” hype sessions he used to draw fans into matches. He often would play off his interviewer, “Mean” Gene Okerlund, starting his interviews off with, “Well, lemme tell ya something, Mean Gene!”

He crossed over into movies and television as well. He was Thunderlips in the movie Rocky III in 1982 and he starred in the 1993 comedy Mr. Nanny.

Hogan was born in Augusta, Georgia, on Aug. 11, 1953. His family moved to Florida when he was an infant, and he launched his wrestling career in the Tampa area in the late 1970s. He was married three times during his life.