The news cycle is a weird, fast-moving beast. One minute you're scrolling through your feed, and the next, you see a headline that makes your heart drop: how did Hulk Hogan die today?
If you've been seeing these searches popping up or hearing whispers in the wrestling community lately, there’s a massive piece of context you need first. Terry Bollea, the man behind the "24-inch pythons" and the yellow-and-red spandex, passed away on July 24, 2025.
He was 71.
When people ask how he died "today," they are often catching up on the tragic reality that the face of 80s wrestling is no longer with us. It wasn’t some staged "worked" injury or a stunt gone wrong. It was a quiet, sudden medical emergency at his home in Clearwater, Florida.
The Morning Everything Changed in Clearwater
Honestly, it started like any other Thursday morning for the Bollea household. But around 9:50 a.m., things took a turn.
Emergency responders were called to Hogan's mansion for what was initially reported as a "medical call." We later learned from the Clearwater Police Department that the specific nature of the call was a cardiac arrest.
Paramedics arrived and found the legendary wrestler in distress. They worked on him for nearly 30 minutes right there in the house, trying desperately to bring him back. According to dispatch audio that leaked later, it was a frantic scene. He was rushed to Morton Plant Hospital, but by the time they got there, there wasn't much left to be done. He was pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m.
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It’s just... strange to think about. This guy was the "Immortal" Hulk Hogan. He survived Andre the Giant, the New World Order, and decades of falling on concrete, but a heart attack at 71 ended it all.
What Most People Get Wrong: The Real Cause of Death
You might hear a lot of rumors. Was it the steroids from the 90s? Was it the 25 surgeries he had over the last decade?
The official cause of death, confirmed about a week later by the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center, was an acute myocardial infarction—a heart attack.
But there was a layer to this that nobody knew about while he was alive. The medical records revealed that Hogan had been privately battling leukemia (CLL).
He also had a history of atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is a condition that makes your heart beat irregularly. When you mix a secret cancer battle with a heart that’s already rhythmically unstable, you've got a recipe for disaster.
- Acute Myocardial Infarction: The immediate cause.
- Leukemia CLL: A chronic underlying battle.
- Atrial Fibrillation: An irregular heartbeat that complicated things.
His wife, Sky Daily, had actually been defending his health just weeks before, telling people his heart was "strong" after he’d had a major neck surgery in May 2025. It turns out, even the closest people can sometimes be in the dark about how close the end really is.
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The Body That Finally Quit
Hogan used to joke that he had no original parts left. He wasn't kidding.
In a late 2024 interview on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, he told Logan Paul that he had undergone roughly 25 surgeries in the last ten years alone. Think about that for a second. Ten of those were on his back. He had both hips replaced. Both knees replaced. His shoulders were a mess.
Basically, his body was a roadmap of the physical toll of professional wrestling. He spent decades dropping his 300-pound frame onto his tailbone for that famous leg drop. That move—the one that won him a dozen world titles—is probably what ruined his spine.
A Timeline of the Decline
- May 2025: Hogan undergoes a "four-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion." That's a massive neck surgery.
- June 2025: Bubba the Love Sponge starts claiming on his radio show that Hogan is on his "deathbed." Hogan’s team denies it, saying he’s just recovering.
- Early July 2025: Hogan posts a photo of himself looking jacked, trying to prove he’s still the Hulkster.
- July 24, 2025: He collapses at home and passes away.
It's sorta crazy how he tried to keep the image of the "invincible hero" up until the very end. That's just who he was.
Why We Are Still Searching for "How Did Hulk Hogan Die"
In early 2026, the searches are still spiking. Why?
Part of it is the "Mandela Effect" or just the way news travels on social media. People see a clip of him at the 2024 Republican National Convention—where he famously ripped his shirt for Donald Trump—and they realize they haven't seen him lately.
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Then there's the toy world. Just this month, Mattel announced a new "WWE Ultimate Edition" action figure of Hogan. When fans see a "new" product, they often Google the person to see what they're up to. Discovering he died six months ago is a gut punch every time.
Also, we can't ignore the "Celebrity Death Hoax" culture. People have been "killing off" Hulk Hogan on Twitter for fifteen years. When it actually happened, half the world didn't believe it.
The Legacy of the 24-Inch Pythons
Whether you loved him or hated him (and let's be real, his later years were filled with a lot of controversy, from the Gawker lawsuit to some pretty ugly leaked comments), you can't deny he was the biggest thing in wrestling.
He was the reason wrestling went from smoky bingo halls to selling out the Pontiac Silverdome for WrestleMania III. He was a movie star, a reality TV dad, and a pop culture icon.
He is survived by his wife Sky, and his children Brooke and Nick. They’ve mostly kept things private since the cremation, which was also noted in his final medical documents.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're looking to honor the guy or just get more closure, here’s what you should do:
- Watch the A&E Biography: The Biography: WWE Legends episode on Hogan is probably the most honest look at Terry Bollea vs. Hulk Hogan.
- Check the Official WWE Tribute: WWE released a massive video package shortly after his death that covers his entire career from the 70s to the Hall of Fame.
- Verify News Sources: If you see a headline saying a celeb died "today," always check the date on the article. Usually, it's an old story being recycled by an algorithm.
The "Hulkster" might be gone, but the impact he had on sports entertainment is permanent. He didn't die today, but the weight of his loss is still being felt by fans who grew up thinking he was a real-life superhero. It's a reminder that even the biggest legends are human underneath the tan and the mustache.