Hulk Hogan died last Thursday at the age of 71, and some new information has emerged about the health issues the wrestling legend had been dealing with.
Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died following a medical episode at his home in Clearwater, Fla., on July 24. Medical personnel were dispatched to the scene for what was described as a cardiac arrest.
According to records from Pinellas County Forensic Science Center that were obtained by the New York Post, Hogan’s official cause of death was acute myocardial infarction, which is more commonly referred to as a heart attack. Hogan also had a history of atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is characterized by an irregular heartbeat.
The documents also showed that Hulk had previously been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CLL is a type of cancer that affects the white blood cells
There had been no known public acknowledgment from Hogan or anyone in his camp that the former WWE champion had been battling cancer.
There had been rumors in recent months that Hogan underwent a significant heart procedure, though his representatives denied that. Longtime radio personality Bubba The Love Sponge Clem, who was once friends with Hogan, claimed on his radio show in June that Hulk was in the hospital dealing with some sort of life-threatening condition.
A rep for Hogan said at the time that Hulk had been receiving medical treatment to address lingering neck and back issues but was doing well.
Hogan was arguably the most famous professional wrestler of all time. His popularity in the 1980s led to the rapid growth of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which is now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. He was removed in 2015 over a scandal but reinstated again several years later. Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame a second time in 2020 as a member of the New World Order (NWO), which he joined in 1996 when he made a heel turn while wrestling in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
A six-time WWE Champion, Hogan remained a brand ambassador for the organization up until his death.
