Terry Bollea, better known to wrestling fans as the legendary Hulk Hogan, died early Thursday morning. He was 71 years old.
Hogan’s passing was first reported by TMZ Sports, which stated emergency personnel were dispatched to his home in Clearwater, Florida, over a reported “cardiac arrest.”
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He rose to fame in the 1980s as the charismatic face of WWE, headlining eight of the first nine WrestleManias after promoter Vince McMahon turned a traditionally territorial business into a national phenomenon under one main umbrella.
Hogan’s iconic 1984 World Heavyweight Championship win over the Iron Sheik kicked off the “Hulkamania” phenomenon that transformed professional wrestling into a global entertainment juggernaut. In the 80s, Hogan was certainly in the argument for the biggest star in sports and entertainment.
He later saw a career resurgence with a heel turn as Hollywood Hogan with the nWo in 1996, a storyline that helped redefine wrestling by