Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan has died at the age of 71, the WWE confirms.
In a statement World Wrestling Entertainment says it’s “saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away”.
Describing Hogan as “one of pop culture’s most recognizable figures”, it says “Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s”.
“WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans,” the post concludes.
Hulk Hogan is arguably the most famous name in professional wrestling history.
Born Terry Boella in 1953, Hogan dominated the professional wrestling world throughout the 80s and 90s before expanding into films, and later reality TV.
Joining the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE) in 1979 but leaving shortly after in 1981, Hogan headlined the first WrestleMania in New York in 1985, where he and Mr T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper.
Throughout the 90s, Hogan’s popularity transcended the wrestling ring, appearing in films including Mr Nanny and Suburban Commando.
It was a surprise to no-one when Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 (he would later be inducted again in 2020 as a member of the NWO), but he was removed from the hall in 2015 when his WWE contract was terminated after a tape of him emerged using a racist slur.
In 2018, the company reinstated him, saying he deserved a second chance, but several WWE superstars, including the New Day and Titus O’Neil, said it would be “difficult to simply forget” what Hogan had said.
In recent years, Hogan had appeared at Trump rallies and on the US election campaign trail last year.
Hogan was booed by the crowd at his most recent WWE appearance, when he appeared on the company’s flagship Monday Night Raw programme to promote his beer brand.
