Clearwater Police Department in Florida, United States has confirmed that world wrestling champion, Terry Bollea a.k.a Hulk Hogan died on Thursday morning around 11:17am after the personnel of the Clearwater City Fire and Police Departments responded to an emergency medical report at about 9:51am and administered first aid treatment of cardiac arrest to Hulk Hogan before he was rushed to Morton Plant Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to the Clearwater Police Department in a video press briefing held a few hours ago, the “Clearwater Fire Department and Clearwater Police Department personnel responded to a medical call at 9:51am today in the 1000 block of Eldorado Avenue on Clearwater Beach.
The nature of the call was for a cardiac arrest. A 71-year-old resident, Terry Bollea, also known as Hulk Hogan, was treated by Clearwater Fire and Rescue crews before being taken by Sunstar to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased”.
Major Nate Burnside briefed the press about the police and fire response to a medical call involving Terry Bollea, also known as Hulk Hogan.
A video of the scene outside Hogan’s residence shows responders desperately trying to save his life as he was transported to an ambulance.
In the clip, several paramedics appear to be conducting chest compressions as Hogan is wheeled to the emergency vehicle.
It may be recalled that a few weeks ago, Hogan’s wife, Sky, whom he married in September 2023, denied rumors he was in a coma… stating his heart was “strong” as he recovered from surgeries.
Some local media in the United States had reported last month that Hogan was on his “deathbed” … but the reports were denied with statements that as at the time he was just dealing with the symptoms of a neck procedure he underwent in May, 2025.
The global sports icon, Hulk Hogan undoubtedly transformed professional wrestling into a family entertainment sports. Before Hulk, wrestling catered to a fairly narrow audience. Hulk’s theatrics in the ring were magnetic for children and their parents, and it supercharged the sport.
Hogan kickstarted a pop culture phenomenon with “Hulkamania” after defeating the Iron Sheik for the World Heavyweight Championship in 1984 — a craze that never went away, and his signature bandana and handlebar mustache were often copied by fans in crowds for decades.
In 1996, Hulk created the NWO — New World Order — and became Hollywood Hulk Hogan. It propelled him and professional wresting to even more fame.
Hogan had countless iconic performancs which included a matchup against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania X8 in 2002 and a face-off with Andre the Giant at WM 3 — and had memorable feuds with Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage.
Hulk was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. He was removed in 2015 after a scandal erupted over racists comments while he was being secretly recorded during a sexual encounter. Gawker posted the clip and Hulk subsequently sued, winning the lawsuit.
Hulk was inducted a second time in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2020 … this time as a member of NWO.
World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE released a statement on Hogan’s death, saying, “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.”
Hulk was the star of the 2024 Republican National Convention, when he set the room ablaze with theatrics.
Hulk had an amazingly successful movie career, beginning in 1982, with “Rocky III,” playing the iconic character Thunderlips. He also starred in “No Holds Barred,” “Suburban Commando” and “Mr. Nanny.”
And there’s more … Hogan starred in the hit VH1 reality show, “Hogan Knows Best,” with his family … Linda, Nick and Brooke.
In details, WWE in a statement on its website said; “Legendary WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan passes away. WWE is saddened to learn that Terry Bollea, recognized globally as Legendary WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, has passed away on July 24 at 71.
One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition with the Hulkamania craze of the 1980s and reignited sports-entertainment’s popularity in the 1990s through his leadership of the New World Order in WCW. Whether he was a hero or villain, clad in red and yellow or black and white, The Hulkster was always one of the ring’s most popular and enduring stars.
Hogan abandoned a career in music with his Tampa, Florida based band, Ruckus, when he was discovered by WWE Hall of Famers Jack and Gerry Brisco. In 1977, Hogan began training with Hiro Matsuda, who intentionally broke Hogan’s lower leg just to see if he was passionate enough to return to training in the ring or would instead return to playing bass guitar.
A year later on August 10, 1977, Hogan had his first match against B. Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Florida, for Championship Wrestling from Florida. Hogan competed under a mask as Super Destroyer in Florida and then teamed with his friend Ed Leslie (who would become Brutus Beefcake) as brothers Terry and Ed Boulder in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. It was after appearing on a local talk show in Memphis with TV’s Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, that he began calling himself Terry “The Hulk” Boulder because he was so much larger than Ferrigno.
He first appeared in WWE in 1979 and was named Hulk Hogan by Vincent J. McMahon. As a villain, Hogan defeated (the future Million Dollar Man) Ted DiBiase in his first match at Madison Square Garden, challenged Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship, and collided with Andre the Giant eight years before WrestleMania III in August 1980 at New York City’s Shea Stadium.
After appearing in “Rocky III”, Hogan spent the next three years competing for Verne Gagne’s AWA and Antonio Inoki’s New Japan Pro Wrestling. Hogan then made the move to WWE where he defeated The Iron Sheik to become to WWE Champion on Jan. 23, 1984, beginning a pop culture craze that would be known as Hulkamania.
For nearly a decade, WWE and Hulkamania’s footprints grew together. WWE expanded to nationally syndicated television, then pay-per-per-view, with Hogan headlining in a litany of classics, including teaming with television’s biggest star, Mr. T, at the first WrestleMania and defeating Andre the Giant in front of more than 93,000 fans at WrestleMania III.
All told, Hulk Hogan racked up an unprecedented five WWE Championships, main-evented WrestleMania eight times, and sold millions of T-shirts, toys and anything else you could imagine bearing the red and yellow before leaving WWE in August 1993.
The Hulkster planned on putting his full-time sports-entertainment days behind him and started a career as a television star on the syndicated “Thunder in Paradise.” However, it wasn’t long until he was drawn into sports-entertainment again, this time by “Nature Boy” Ric Flair and new WCW Executive Producer Eric Bischoff.
Using Turner Broadcasting’s budget, Bischoff signed Hogan to a seven-figure, part-time contract. In his debut match, Hogan, with Mr. T in his corner and Shaquille O’Neal at ringside, defeated Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the Bash at the Beach pay-per-view in Orlando, Fla.
After two years of dominating his competition, Hogan did the unthinkable when he betrayed both WCW fans and WCW heroes Sting, Lex Luger and Randy Savage by joining The Outsiders, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, to form the New World Order. The nWo was WCW’s greatest weapon in the Monday Night War pitting WCW’s Nitro against WWE’s Monday Night Raw. During his six years with WCW, Hogan won six WCW World Heavyweight Championships.
Almost one year after the demise of WCW, Hogan, Hall and Nash returned to WWE as the reviled nWo in February 2002. While his third stay in WWE lasted less than two years, Hogan was once again embraced by the WWE Universe during his match against The Rock at WrestleMania X8 and later won his sixth WWE Championship from Triple H at Backlash 2002.
In 2005, The Hulkster was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his Rocky III co-star and friend, Sylvester Stallone, and appeared at WrestleMania 21 the following night.
In 2014, The Hulkster again returned to WWE and was the host of WrestleMania 30. The historic event began with Hogan, The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, arguably the three most famous sports-entertainers of all time, together in the ring to the delight of more than 75,000 WWE fans from all 50 states and 37 countries at New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome, with millions more watching the first WrestleMania to air live on WWE Network.
There are few names more synonymous with sports-entertainment than Hulk Hogan, as the larger-than-life icon was a central figure in WWE’s rise from a regional attraction to the worldwide entertainment leader. The Hulkster’s superhuman size and undeniable charisma helped him reach heights once unthinkable in sports and entertainment, as Hogan packed 93,173 fans into the Pontiac Silverdome for WrestleMania III, won six WWE Championships, starred in movies and set the standard for what a WWE Superstar could be.
WWE extends its condolences to Bollea’s family, friends and fans”, the World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE stated.
What’s amazing about Hulk … he had scores of surgeries as a result of wrestling injuries. He told Harvey during a taping of “Object-ified” he had no original body parts left.