In the third high-profile passing in less than a week, Hulk Hogan of WWE fame, has also lost his life. He was 71.
Reports of what exactly happened to the former World Wrestling Entertainment super star are now emerging, along with audio from the 911 call.
Meanwhile, tributes are pouring in from across the internet, including from former wrestling colleagues, as well as various politicians
Highlights
- Police explain in greater detail the circumstances surrounding the passing of former wrestler, Hulk Hogan.
- The WWE star suffered from a fatal cardiac arrest at his home in Florida.
- Media say he was able to reconcile with his estranged daughter before his passing.
- Tributes from celebrities and former wrestlers are pouring in.
Authorities release audio from the 911 operator to Hulk Hogan’s Florida residence
Image credits: Mike Kalasnik / Flickr
Image credits: Megan Elice Meadows / Flickr
Police say Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, experienced cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida, on Thursday morning.
During a news conference, Clearwater Police said they received a 911 call from Hogan’s home in Clearwater Beach.
In a replay of the audio from that call, a dispatcher can be heard passing on the information to first responders, saying, “Fire, tire bravo. Rescue 46, LR 45, Engine 46. Cardiac arrest.”
The person’s audio was beeped as they said the exact address of the house.
Image credits: jimmyvan74 / X
In a recently released video of the incident, we can see a group of about six or so emergency workers wheeling Hogan out of his house on a stretcher.
Police say they were called to the residence just before 10am. They say Hogan was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased about an hour later.
Police said during the news conference that no foul play is suspected.
Hogan’s estranged daughter told her father she loved him 2 years ago
Image credits: Google Maps
Many reports about Hogan’s passing are focused on his strained relationship with his daughter, Brooke.
Despite a tense relationship over the years, resulting in long periods where they were not speaking, sources tell TMZ that Brooke was glad she told her father that she loved him during their latest conversation, back in 2023.
Image credits: hulkhogan / Instagram
According to TMZ’s sources, they last spoke "two weeks before Hulk married Sky Daily in September 2023.”
TMZ says that during the final phone call, “Brooke expressed deep love and concern for her father, telling him she didn't think he should still be working so hard given his declining health.”
“It’s been 20 years and I’m still sad”: Linda Hogan released a tearful video earlier this year
Image credits: Evan Agostini / Getty Images
That previously strained relationship was the topic of an emotional video that his ex-wife Linda released earlier this year.
Addressing the camera, looking disheveled and teary, Linda said, “As usual, I'm okay with most things, but today something hit. I don't know what hit, but I look terrible because I've been crying.”
She went on to say that her family was “in the worst mess,” continuing on to say that her daughter doesn’t talk to them.
"She had a huge fight with Terry. I don't know how that reflected onto me. But she cut me out too. I haven't talked to her for seven years. Almost eight years now."
She went on to blast her ex as a "complete liar" and "s*x addict," while saying their divorce still hurts.
"It's been 20 years and I'm still this sad. Somebody please explain that. I don't know. It just doesn't get better."
“From deep in my bones”: Dwayne Johnson gives heartfelt tribute
Image credits: Evan Agostini / Getty Images
Tributes for Hogan have been pouring in from across the internet.
The WWE said that Hogan was "one of pop culture's most recognizable figures" and credited him for helping the WWE “achieve global recognition in the 1980s."
The U.S. Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, who was also one of the co-founders of the WWE, posted a heartfelt comment on X.
Image credits: Vince Bucci / Getty Images
“I had the privilege of knowing and working with @HulkHogan for over 40 years,” she wrote. “Hulk was a dear friend and member of our WWE family. His legacy in and out of the ring will always be remembered. He was one of a kind!” McMahon’s post read.
In 1982, Hogan played the wrestler Thunderlips in Rocky III alongside Sylvester Stallone, who said Hogan was “absolutely wonderful. My heart breaks."
Also a former wrestler, Johnson explained a touching story about meeting his wrestling hero as a kid, then facing him years later as a colleague in the ring.
“Still a kid at the age of 29 years old — I’m standing in the middle of the ring and facing you - one of my wrestling heroes in the main event of WRESTLEMANIA. The match was to decide who would go down in history, as The Greatest of All Time,” Johnson explained.
Image credits: Jim Spellman / Getty Images
“You may have “passed the torch” to me that night, but you, my friend… you “drew the house,” Johnson wrote.
“From deep in my bones, and on behalf of this wild and crazy world of professional wrestling that we love, I say to you now, and forever, thank you for the House…” Johnson concluded, finishing with the hashtag #goat.
Hulk Hogan became a household name in the 80s and is considered a WWE pioneer
Hogan was known for his signature bleached-blond handlebar mustache and various colorful bandanas, and was a driving force behind the WWE's rise to an international brand.
Hogan was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and remained a fixture for the event for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock.
Image credits: Journalist 1st Class Kristin Fitzsimmons
He appeared in numerous films and TV shows, and had his own VH1 reality show, Hogan Knows Best, building-up his celebrity status to become a household name.
Hogan is the third celebrity to have passed in the past 7 days: Malcolm-Jamal Warner, from The Cosby Show, passed on July 20th; Ozzy Osbourne, the heavy metal rocker from Black Sabbath passed on July 24th; and Hulk Hogan on July 24th.
Netizens note that this is the third passing of a celebrity in seven days, saying bad things happen in threes
