Former American wrestler Hulk Hogan has died at the age of 71, reports TMZ Sports.
Doctors were dispatched to the WWE legend's home in Clearwater, Florida, this morning, but they were unable to save him. According to the operators, he had gone into"cardiac arrest."
Hogan's wife, Sky, denied rumors a few weeks ago that her husband was in a coma, saying his heart was"strong" as he recovered from surgeries.
Hulk Hogan (born Terry Eugene Bollea) transformed professional wrestling into family entertainment. Before then, wrestling had appealed to a relatively small audience, but Hulk Hogan's theatrical performances in the ring were like a magnet for children and their parents, giving the sport a huge boost.
Hogan became a pop culture phenomenon thanks to Hulkamania after defeating the Iron Sheik for the World Heavyweight Championship in 1984. In 1996, Hogan went from hero to villain when he founded the NWO – the New World Order – and went by the name Hollywood Hulk Hogan. This brought him and professional wrestling even greater fame.
Hulk Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, but was removed in 2015 after a scandal erupted over racist comments he made while secretly recording a sexual encounter. Gawker published the recording, which led to Hulk suing and winning the case, bringing down the Gawker empire. The story was told in a long article in 2016 by former Gawker employee László Szily, who has since worked at 444.
Hogan has had countless iconic appearances, including a match with Dwayne The Rock Johnson at WrestleMania X8 in 2002 and a legendary match against André the Giant at WrestleMania 3, as well as memorable rivalries with the Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage. He has also had a successful film career and even had a family reality show on VH1 called Hogan Knows Best. In recent years, he has attempted to return to public life as a Trump supporter.
