Hulk Hogan

Terry Bollea, better known to millions of fans as Hulk Hogan, a wrestling superstar and pop culture icon who in the 1980s helped start the modern wrestling boom, died July 24, 2025, of cardiac arrest in Clearwater, Florida at the age of 71.

Hogan’s rise in the 1980s did more than simply make him the top star of the World Wrestling Federation (now known as the WWE). It also made him an All-American icon who came to represent what were seen as American values. He’d later experience ups and downs as a public figure, once his life outside the wrestling ring began to draw more attention than his persona as a popular entertainer, but for a time he was seen as a role model for millions.

Along with his work in the squared circle, Hogan became known for his colorful catchphrases. For an entire generation of fans, “Say your prayers and eat your vitamins” and “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you” created a template for how to tackle life. 

Born in Augusta, Georgia and raised in Port Tampa, Florida, Hogan became interested in wrestling in high school and began competing on local circuits after graduation. He dropped out of the University of South Florida to pursue music – he was a bass player – but switched focus to wrestling when he began competing in the late 1970s. In 1979, he met WWF founder Vincent J. McMahon. McMahon was impressed and signed him up. Hogan debuted with the WWF in November of that year.

Though he enjoyed early success on the wrestling scene, it wasn’t until the mid 1980s that he became an icon. That’s when “Hulkamania” truly began to run wild. New WWF owner Vincent K. McMahon made Hogan the face of the Federation when on January 23, 1984, he became WWF World Champion for the first time, defeating popular heel The Iron Sheik (1942–2023).

In the years that followed, Hogan rose to be one of the biggest stars in entertainment, not just in wrestling, but dabbling in music and acting, too. Toys, shirts, and countless other merch bore his name and image. As the years wore on, he left the WWF in 1993 and became a star at World Championship Wrestling (WCW), then had several more returns to the newly-branded WWE.

He also weathered his fair share of personal controversies, from recordings of racist comments to the revelation that he’d taken steroids, the release of a video of him in an intimate moment, a high-profile lawsuit against Gawker over the release of that video (which he won, putting Gawker out of business), and a series of allegations that he’d lied about his life and accomplishments.

But for most, he was and remained Hulk Hogan, the all-American hero of the 1980s. And that’s how he wanted to be remembered, telling “People” magazine in 2019:

“You get to a certain place in life where you have … I don’t know what you’d call it … a come-to-Jesus moment, where you finally get it, what this is all about. You realize how you treat people, and that helping and serving people are more important than anything that you could possibly be doing.”

 

Hogan’s accomplishments made him an entertainment legend. He is in the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, and he was WWE/WWF World Champion six times. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice, the second time as a member of the New World Order, and was WCW World Heavyweight Champion six times, among many other accolades. 

“Hulk has been by my side since we started in the wrestling business,” wrestling legend Ric Flair said on the social media platform X. “An incredible athlete, talent, friend, and father! Our friendship has meant the world to me. He was always there for me even when I didn’t ask for him to be. He was one of the first to visit me when I was in the hospital with a 2% chance of living, and he prayed by my bedside. Hulkster, no one will ever compare to you!”

Former wrestling champion Mark Mero said much the same: “He was a man with a big heart and a genuine desire to help others. He was a proud supporter of my school program, Champion of Choices, and was always willing to lend a hand – whether it was recording a promo to help us book school events or signing an autograph for a student who was hurting. One moment that speaks volumes about his character was when he took the time to personally call my friend, Delvis Franco, who was battling cancer, just to lift his spirits. I’ll truly miss him. He was one of the greats – not just in professional wrestling, but in the way he treated people.”

By Eric San Juan

(Image courtesy of WWE)