Hulk Hogan Dead at 71: Wrestling Icon’s Turbulent Legacy Ends in Clearwater
The wrestling world just lost one of its loudest, brashest, and most larger-than-life figures. Hulk Hogan, the man who tore shirts, dropped leg drops, and ruled wrestling’s golden era, has died at 71. Paramedics rushed to his Clearwater, Florida home on Thursday, July 24, after reports of cardiac arrest, but the legend couldn’t be saved.
Hogan leaves behind two children, Brooke (37) and Nick (34), from his marriage to Linda Hogan. But like any long-running wrestling storyline, his family life has been a saga of drama, heartbreak, and controversy that often played out more brutally than anything in the ring.
The Family Feud No One Could Script
Hogan’s split from Linda in 2007 was messy enough, but the family fractures didn’t stop there. Earlier this year, Brooke revealed that she had cut ties with both parents, citing years of verbal, mental, and even physical abuse.
In a brutally honest post, Brooke wrote:
“Up until adulthood, I’ve received berating and vile text messages, verbal, public renaming with unbelievably hurtful words… I’ve watched others benefit financially off my suffering and embarrassment caused by their selfish behaviour.”
She described her family as “very skilled at war,” but admitted the little girl inside her still wanted parents who could show love. Ultimately, she decided that the pain of staying was worse than their absence.
Breaking the Chain
Brooke, who married pro ice hockey player Steven Olesky in 2022 and welcomed twins Oliver and Molly in January 2025, said her focus now is on creating a different legacy:
“I have been to therapy, I am doing the work. I am breaking the chain. It ends with ME.”
A Legacy Marred by Scandal
Hogan’s career wasn’t without controversy. Before his divorce, he was accused of having an affair with one of Brooke’s friends. In 2015, an audio recording of Hogan making racist remarks about a man Brooke was dating led to WWE severing ties with him. At the time, Brooke defended her father with a poem. A move that now feels complicated in light of her more recent revelations.
The Final Bell
Hulk Hogan was more than just a wrestler. He was an icon, a household name, and for many fans, the face of professional wrestling itself. But outside the squared circle, his life was a tangled mix of fame, family battles, and public fallout.
This time, there’s no steel cage escape, no miraculous kick-out at two. For the man who once told us to “say your prayers and eat your vitamins,” the match is over. The final bell has rung… and Hulkamania has taken its last bow.
Source: sheknows
