Hulk Hogan, no doubt one of the most globally recognizable faces in professional wrestling, is dead at the age of 71.
As first reported by TMZ, Hogan died at his Florida home on Thursday, with cardiac arrest listed as the cause for medics' initial arrival at the residence. Additional details were not immediately available.
Hogan's health had been the subject of speculation in recent weeks. At one point, Hogan’s wife, Sky, said in an alleged Instagram comment to a fan that her husband had been “in and out of the hospital” while recovering from surgery.
When reached for comment by Complex on Thursday, reps for Hogan confirmed his death. WWE reps also addressed Hogan's death shortly after the initial TMZ report.
“WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away,” a WWE spokesperson said Thursday. “One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.”
Hogan was widely regarded as a driving force behind professional wrestling’s mainstream popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, along the way tapping into the film industry with parts in Gremlins 2 and Rocky III, among other titles. On TV, Hulk appeared in everything from The A-Team to The Goldbergs. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once included Hogan alongside Ric Flair and others in his picks for a wrestling-themed Mount Rushmore.
By the 2010s, however, Hogan’s public image had been tarnished. In July 2015, WWE said it had ended its contract with Hogan in light of his repeated use of the N-word in an alleged audio recording that was leaked.
“I’m not a racist,” Hogan later said in a Good Morning America interview, adding that it was “very fair” to say that he had inherited a racial bias. “I never should have said what I said. It was wrong. I’m embarrassed it.”
In March of the following year, Hogan was awarded $115 million in a lawsuit against Gawker over a related sex tape.
By 2018, Hogan had been reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame, with WWE reps saying at the time that this “second chance” had come about after Hogan’s “numerous public apologies and volunteering to work with young people, where he is helping them learn from his mistake.”
Last summer, Hogan took the stage at the Republican National Convention in support of Donald Trump. More recently, Hogan had been in headlines for his involvement with Real American Freestyle, a new wrestling brand. The inaugural RAF event is currently scheduled to take place in Cleveland in August.
RIP.