After a career that lasted decades in the wrestling and Hollywood industries, it’s been officially confirmed that icon Hulk Hogan has died at age 71. He passed away in Clearwater, Florida after being pronounced dead at a hospital.
As shared via Deadline, police in the area claimed that Hogan “suffered cardiac arrest at his home” before he was brought to the hospital. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, also started a wrestling league known as Real American Freestyle alongside other co-founders Eric Bischoff and Chad Bronstein.
Bronstein shared the following statement:
“We lost our Commissioner. We lost a friend. And the sport of wrestling lost one of its greatest champions, not just in the ring, but in spirit. Hulk Hogan believed wrestling was more than just entertainment. He saw it as a brotherhood, a proving ground and a platform for greatness. That’s what Real American Freestyle was built to be, a new stage for the toughest, most passionate athletes on Earth. And Hulk was at the center of it.
“From day one,” he continued, “he threw his weight behind this league. He met with athletes. He watched tape, shared stories, and showed up like only he could. RAF was personal to him, something bigger than all of us. This league is part of his legacy, and we intend to honor it.”
In addition to his wrestling career, Hogan was also an actor, having appeared in a variety of films and shows throughout the decades. This includes his appearance in Rocky III as Thunderlips, or one of the most popular and over-the-top cameos in cinema when he appeared as himself in the Gremlins sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the world of wrestling as we have them. It’ll certainly be an interesting new time for the industry without Hulk Hogan, however, especially considering his involvement with the business in going back to the 1970s in various promotions such as WWE, WCW and TNA.