Hulk Hogan’s health had reportedly taken a severe turn for the worse in the days leading up to his death last week.
Due to complications from a neck surgery in May, Hogan was intubated and battled renal failure, fluid overload and severe COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), according to wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer.
“What happened with Hulk was they took him out of the hospital and made a hospital in his house as there wasn’t much left they could do,” Meltzer, 65, reported in his Wrestling Observer Newsletter on Friday, July 25.
Hogan died on Thursday, July 24, after suffering cardiac arrest at his home, according to the Clearwater Police Department. He was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
WWE remembered Hulk Hogan on Friday Night SmackDown one day after the legendary wrestler’s death. The Friday, July 25 show, held at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, opened with WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque (a.k.a. Triple H) onstage surrounded by the entire SmackDown roster and WWE legends including Jimmy Hart, Ted DiBiase, Sgt. Slaughter […]
He was 71 years old.
A source exclusively told Us Weekly last week that Hogan had been “in and out of the hospital” for years before his death.
The insider described the frequent hospital visits as “the culmination of having over 30 surgeries over the course of his life.”
“Wrestling like he did for so many years has done so much damage,” the source added. “His body was so beaten up. Although wrestling can be fake, it’s not physically fake. There were predetermined outcomes to the matches, but the physicality was very real. He was always in some sort of pain. He paid for his success.”
Despite his health struggles, a source told Us that Hogan’s death came as a “huge shock” to many of his friends and family.
“He had been calling and texting as normal,” the source explained, adding, “Hulk was at home in the last few weeks, not in the hospital. He was recovering well from his heart operation.”
Hogan underwent “pretty serious” heart surgery in recent months, with a source telling us it “wasn’t a near-death thing.”
Nick Hogan is paying tribute to dad Hulk Hogan after his death. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me and comforted me over the last few days. It truly means a lot,” Nick, 35, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, July 26. “I’m sorry to everyone I have not responded to yet. This […]
Shortly before his death, Hogan’s wife, Sky Daily, said the legendary pro wrestler was “definitely not in a coma.”
“His heart is strong, and there was never any lack of oxygen or brain damage,” Daily, 46, posted via her Instagram Story on Thursday, July 24. “None of those rumors are true.”
Hogan died the following day.
“I wasn’t ready for this… and my heart is in pieces,” Daily wrote via Instagram on Friday. “He had been dealing with some health issues, but I truly believed we would overcome them. I had so much faith in his strength. I thought we still had more time. This loss is sudden and impossible to process. To the world, he was a legend… but to me, he was my Terry. The man I loved. My partner. My heart.”
