Hulk Hogan, the flamboyant, bandana-wearing professional wrestler who helped transform the wrestling industry into a global entertainment empire and became one of the most recognizable figures of the 1980s, died Tuesday at the age of 71. The cause was reportedly cardiac arrest.
Born Terry Eugene Bollea in Augusta, Ga., on Aug. 11, 1953, and raised in Tampa, Fla., Mr. Hogan was, for millions of fans, the face of what came to be known as “sports entertainment.”
Towering at 6-foot-7 with a signature blond handlebar mustache and an ever-present bandana stretched over his balding scalp, he cultivated a persona that was part comic-book superhero, part everyman patriot.
Mr. Hogan rose to prominence in the mid-1980s as the marquee attraction of the then-World Wrestling Federation. His popularity exploded with the advent of WrestleMania in 1985, where he headlined the inaugural event at Madison Square Garden.
He would go on to win the WWF championship six times and play a central role in the company’s ascension into mainstream culture.
“Say your prayers and eat your vitamins” was his mantra, directed at a generation of young fans who watched him tear his shirt to shreds on Saturday morning television. Known for his exaggerated charisma, dramatic matches, and dramatic flexes, Mr. Hogan’s appeal extended far beyond the wrestling ring.
He starred in a number of films, including No Holds Barred (1989), and became a fixture on television in everything from talk shows to a reality series, Hogan Knows Best, which aired on VH1 in the mid-2000s. For a time, his reach rivaled that of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
In the late 1990s, Mr. Hogan underwent a dramatic reinvention, turning heel — wrestling parlance for a villain — in rival promotion WCW, where he co-founded the New World Order (nWo), a storyline that reinvigorated the industry and helped the company dominate television ratings.
But his life outside the ring was often turbulent. He was embroiled in a public divorce, a family reality show that revealed fissures behind the scenes, and a sex tape scandal that led to a high-profile legal battle with Gawker Media.
A jury awarded Mr. Hogan $140 million in damages in 2016, effectively ending the company.
He also faced backlash over supposedly racist remarks that were made public in 2015, resulting in a temporary severance from WWE. He was later reinstated to the Hall of Fame and issued multiple apologies.
In recent years, Mr. Hogan remained an icon to fans and an occasional presence at WWE events. His influence on the industry — from its explosive growth in the 1980s to its cable-era evolution — is difficult to overstate.
Hogan was also an outspoken Trump supporter known for his memorable speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
He is survived by his children, Brooke and Nick Hogan, and his wife, Sky Daily, whom he married in 2023. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.
For better or worse, Hulk Hogan helped define an era — one marked by spectacle, bravado, and a distinctly American sense of theatricality.
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