Professional wrestler Terry Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, died on Thursday at the age of 71, according to World Wrestling Entertainment.
Bollea is widely recognized as the biggest wrestling star of all time and helped WWE become the behemoth that it is today. In the 1980s and 1990s, Bollea’s larger-than-life personality – in and out of the ring – made him a household name and a crossover mainstream star, starring in movies and recognized around the world.
“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,” the company said in a post on X. “WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.”
The city of Clearwater, Florida, said in a statement that police and fire personnel were dispatched to Bollea’s home after a report of an individual in cardiac arrest. Bollea was treated by fire and rescue crews when they arrived and was transported to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. TMZ was first to report the news.
With his boasts of possessing “24-inch pythons” for arms and his reminders to “say your prayers and eat your vitamins,” Bollea was instrumental in wrestling’s 1980s “golden era.” Bollea’s popularity and his rivalries with “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, André Rene Roussimoff – known as André the Giant, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and scores of others made professional wrestling a multi-billion-dollar industry in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Controversy also followed Bollea, who was caught on tape making racial slurs in 2015, a moment that tarnished his legacy among scores of wrestling fans. He was also instrumental in the destruction of Gawker, after a prolonged lawsuit over the outlet’s invasion of Bollea’s privacy by publishing a sex tape. The $115 million judgment bankrupted the website and became a pivotal moment in media law.
During his initial run with McMahon’s promotion, Hogan’s popularity surged, making him easily the most famous and recognized wrestler during the period. Hogan’s entrance music (“Real American”), signature red-and-yellow gear, his catchphrase “Whatcha gonna do, when Hulkamania runs wild on you?” and his dubbing of fans as “Hulkamaniacs” helped make him arguably the most popular babyface of all time.
Although Hogan’s matches followed a simple formula — offense, near defeat, “hulking up” before ultimately winning — he remained the biggest draw WWF had at the time.
By CNN