Hulkamania didn't just fade away; it stopped in its tracks on a humid July morning in Florida. For decades, we all thought Terry Bollea was invincible. He was the man who slammed Andre the Giant. He was the guy who told us to train, say our prayers, and eat our vitamins. But on July 24, 2025, the 24-inch pythons went quiet for good.
The world woke up to a headline that didn't feel real. Hulk Hogan cause of death was the only thing anyone was typing into a search bar. He was 71. Honestly, it feels weird even writing that because, in our heads, the Hulkster was supposed to live forever, probably still dropping leg drops in a bingo hall at age 90.
But the reality was a lot more fragile.
The Official Medical Verdict
Let's get the clinical stuff out of the way first. The Pinellas County Medical Examiner didn't leave much room for debate. The official cause of death was an acute myocardial infarction. In plain English? A massive heart attack.
It wasn't some mysterious accident. It wasn't a "deathbed" rumor that finally came true. His heart simply gave out.
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Emergency responders were called to his Clearwater home at 9:51 AM. If you’ve seen the grainy paparazzi footage, you know how frantic it looked. Paramedics were doing chest compressions as they rolled him to the ambulance. They tried. They really did. But by 11:17 AM at Morton Plant Hospital, it was over.
The Secret Battle Nobody Knew About
Here is where things get heavy. After he passed, records came out showing that Hogan was fighting a war on two fronts that he never talked about publicly.
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL): This was the big shocker. Hogan had been privately battling a type of blood cancer.
- Atrial Fibrillation: He had a history of AFib, which is basically an irregular heart rhythm that makes you way more susceptible to blood clots and, you guessed it, heart attacks.
It makes those final months look a lot different in hindsight. You remember seeing him at the Republican National Convention in 2024? He was ripping his shirt, screaming, full of that classic energy. But behind the scenes, his body was a wreck.
25 Surgeries and a Lifetime of Pain
Hogan once joked that he didn't have any original parts left. He wasn't kidding.
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Between the knees, the hips, and the back, the man had undergone at least 25 surgeries in the decade leading up to his death. His daughter, Brooke, even mentioned in a tribute that she’d lost count of how many times she sat in a hospital waiting room for him.
Just a few months before he died, in May 2025, he had a "four-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion." That’s a massive neck surgery. There were rumors he was in a coma afterward, which his wife Sky Daily shot down at the time. She said his heart was "strong." Sadly, it wasn't as strong as everyone hoped.
Why the Rumors Swirled
The wrestling world is built on "kayfabe"—the idea of keeping the act alive. Hogan lived his life like that too. He always wanted to look "Hulk Great."
Because of that, there was a lot of conflicting info. One day his friend Jimmy Hart would say he’s doing fantastic. The next day, wrestling insiders like Dave Meltzer would report he was struggling with renal failure or COPD.
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When you spend 40 years taking back bumps on concrete and plywood, your internal organs take a beating just as much as your joints. The steroid use in the 80s and 90s—which he admitted to under oath during the 1994 federal trial—likely played a role in the long-term health of his heart. It’s a tragic pattern we’ve seen with too many wrestlers from that era.
The Legacy Left Behind
Hulk Hogan wasn't just a wrestler. He was the reason wrestling became a global monster. Without him, there’s no WrestleMania. There’s no Rock. There’s no John Cena.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis even declared a "Hulk Hogan Day" and flew flags at half-staff. Whether you loved him or hated him for the controversies later in his life, you can't deny the impact. He was the face of childhood for millions.
What We Can Learn From the Hulkster's Health
If there's any takeaway from the tragic end of Terry Bollea, it’s about the "bill" your body eventually collects.
- Listen to the warnings: Shortness of breath and "adverse reactions" to surgery are often the heart's way of screaming for help.
- The Silent Killers: Atrial Fibrillation is often manageable, but if ignored, it's a ticking time bomb.
- Physical Cost: The "fake" world of wrestling has very real, permanent consequences on the human frame.
He died a "natural" death, according to the state, but there was nothing natural about the amount of punishment he put himself through for our entertainment.
To stay on top of your own heart health, especially if you have a history of high-impact sports or irregular rhythms, regular EKGs and consulting with a cardiologist are non-negotiable steps. Understanding the risks of AFib can quite literally be the difference between a scare and a tragedy.