Professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan dies at 71, WWE says
In Clearwater, Florida, authorities responded to a call on Thursday morning about a cardiac arrest. Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said in a statement on Facebook.
Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was arguably the biggest start in WWE's long history.
He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon.
He won at least six WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
In 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hogan $115 million (€97 million) in his sex tape lawsuit against Gawker Media and then added $25 million (€21 million) in punitive damages.
Hogan sued after Gawker in 2012 posted a video of him having sex with his former best friend's wife. He contended the post violated his privacy.
Hogan smiled and wore black throughout the three-week trial.
"Everywhere I show up, people treat me like I'm still the champ," he said of the support from fans.
In a post on social media platform X, WWE said it was saddened to learn about Hogan's death.
"One of pop culture's most recognisable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan's family, friends, and fans," it said.
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AFP
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Altered photo of Hulk Hogan surges following wrestler's death
"His last contribution to society was teasing immigrants at Aligator Alcatraz," says a July 25, 2025 post on Threads, referring to a new migrant detention camp built on a disused airfield deep in the Florida Everglades. Image Screenshot from Threads taken July 28, 2025 The post shares an image that depicts Hogan -- whose real name was Terry Bollea -- sporting his signature handlebar mustache as he brandishes an American flag in front of a large crowd of migrants packed into a fenced-off area of a building. The picture has circulated since at least early July but took off on Threads and other platforms, such as Facebook and X, after World Wrestling Entertainment announced July 24 that the bleach-blond, mahogany-tanned sports star had died at age 71. Police said emergency personnel responded to a cardiac arrest call at his residence. Many posts condemned Hogan or called his death "karma." The pop culture icon, who made professional wrestling a global phenomenon, loudly supported Trump for president in 2024, endorsing his longtime friend with a fiery speech at the Republican National Convention in which he tore off his shirt to reveal a Trump tank top. The image depicting him gleefully posing in front of migrants detained under Trump's presidency, however, is fake. Reverse image searches reveal the picture is a composite of two unrelated photos snapped years before his death. The first, a portrait of Hogan, was captured by photographer Luis Santana for a Tampa Bay Times interview in 2014 (archived here and here). Santana reshared the shot to his Instagram following Hogan's death (archived here). The second shows migrant US border facility in McAllen, Texas in 2019 (archived here). Image This image released in a July 2, 2019 report by the US Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Office shows migrant families overcrowding a Border Patrol facility on June 10, 2019 in McAllen, Texas (DHS/ Office of the Inspector General) The photo does not show the $450 million detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," which is surrounded by swamps inhabited by alligators and snakes and has previously been the subject of other false claims. AFP has debunked additional misinformation about US politics here.
LeMonde
4 days ago
- LeMonde
Hulk Hogan, professional wrestling icon, dies at age 71
Hulk Hogan, the mustachioed, headscarf-wearing icon in the world of professional wrestling, has died at the age of 71, Florida police and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) said Thursday, July 24. In Clearwater, Florida, authorities responded to a call Thursday morning about a cardiac arrest. Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said in a statement on Facebook. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was perhaps the biggest star in WWE's long history. He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage, to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon. He won at least six WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hogan $115 million in his sex tape lawsuit against Gawker Media. Hogan sued after Gawker in 2012 posted a video of him having sex with his former best friend's wife. Hogan contended the post violated his privacy. The lawsuit forced Gawker to shutter, and was closely watched by First Amendment experts and media lawyers alike. Hogan's public persona has transcended the ring, making him a household name. He appeared in numerous movies – including the third Rocky film, where he took on the title character, played by Sylvester Stallone. Hogan also had a reality show about his life on VH1, called Hogan Knows Best in the early 2000s. WWE posted a note on X saying it was saddened to learn the WWE Hall of Famer had passed away. "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," it said.
Euronews
4 days ago
- Euronews
Professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan dies at 71, WWE says
Hulk Hogan, the headscarf-wearing icon of the world of professional wrestling, has died at the age of 71, Florida police and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) said on Thursday. In Clearwater, Florida, authorities responded to a call on Thursday morning about a cardiac arrest. Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said in a statement on Facebook. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was arguably the biggest start in WWE's long history. He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon. He won at least six WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hogan $115 million (€97 million) in his sex tape lawsuit against Gawker Media and then added $25 million (€21 million) in punitive damages. Hogan sued after Gawker in 2012 posted a video of him having sex with his former best friend's wife. He contended the post violated his privacy. Hogan smiled and wore black throughout the three-week trial. "Everywhere I show up, people treat me like I'm still the champ," he said of the support from fans. In a post on social media platform X, WWE said it was saddened to learn about Hogan's death. "One of pop culture's most recognisable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan's family, friends, and fans," it said.
