Hulk Hogan’s Last Months Before Death Were Filled with Illness and MAGA

Hulk Hogan’s final few months were filled with illness, a descent into a fierce support for President Donald Trump and a new professional wrestling venture that never got off the ground before his death Thursday morning.

Hogan was 71 years old. WWE confirmed Hogan’s death with PEOPLE on Thursday, July 24. 

The pro wrestling icon and reality television star shut down rumors last month that he was ill following reports that he was “on his deathbed,” according to E! News. A representative for Hogan told the outlet there was “no reasons to panic” over Hogan’s death. His close friend Jimmy Hart took to social media on Tuesday to assure fans that Hogan was doing “great.”

But two days later, the pro wrestling world was reacting with shock over the news of Hulkster’s death after the Clearwater Police Department said in a statement that they were called for a “cardiac arrest” at Hogan’s home and he was later pronounced dead at the Morton Plant Hospital.

“I am absolutely shocked to hear about the passing of my close friend @HulkHogan!” WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair wrote on social media.

WWE called Hogan “one of pop culture’s most recognizable figures,” and said he “helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s.”

“Hulk Hogan was a true legend,” professional wrestler Glenn Jacobs, who performed as “Kane” in WWE, wrote. Jacobs added that he “practiced” his “Hulkster impersonation” about “in the mirror a thousand times growing up,” underscoring Hogan’s impact on the pro wrestling industry.

Hogan was long portrayed as pro wrestling’s ultimate “good guy” throughout the 1980s and early 1990s before his on-screen character turned heel, or became a “bad guy,” in July 1996. Years later, Hogan’s real life reputation would endure several hits as he became embroiled in controversy over a notorious sex-tape scandal and then having been exposed as using racist language.

Hogan also faced backlash in response to his overt public support for President Donald Trump in recent years, appearing at a rally for Trump at Madison Square Garden in October, leading up to the 2024 presidential election. Hogan also appeared alongside Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee three months prior, telling the crowd that “America’s gonna start winning again” after the 79-year-old was re-elected president that November.

Upon his return to WWE in January as the pro wrestling program celebrated its move to Netflix, Hogan was loudly booed by the audience. The appearance marked his last television spot with the company, where he was long the top star and became one of the most popular wrestlers of all-time.

Seemingly not welcomed by the WWE’s fanbase, Hogan announced the launch of his own professional wrestling company, “Real American Freestyle,” earlier this year. The company, which billed itself as “the first unscripted pro wrestling league for the best athletes in the world,” never officially launched before Hogan died. The company has its first-ever event scheduled for August.