A person who was at Hulk Hogan’s home the day he died claimed the WWE legend was a victim of medical malpractice, according to a new report.
Law enforcement sources in Clearwater, Fla., told TMZ on Thursday that an occupational therapist was at Hogan’s home last month on the day that paramedics were called because the 71-year-old had stopped breathing. The cause of death was later revealed as acute myocardial infarction, which is more commonly known as a heart attack.
A report from the Clearwater Police Department states that the occupational therapist told responding officers that Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, had recently undergone an operation where the surgeon “severed” his phrenic nerve.
The phrenic nerve plays a crucial role in breathing. Hogan’s wife Sky told police that Hulk stopped breathing before he died rather than experiencing any chest pain or having a chest-grabbing episode. Sky also confirmed to TMZ on Thursday that Hogan’s phrenic nerve was “compromised” during a surgery shortly before his death.
Sky said there was an autopsy but did not share any details of the results.
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).
