Hulk Hogan, the controversial WWE and film star, has died aged 71.
As first reported by TMZ and later confirmed by his family to US Weekly, Hogan died today, July 24 after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Hogan was one of the WWE’s first and most popular ever stars after joining the WWF in 1979, the predecessor to the WWE.
Hogan's wife Sky denied rumours that he was in a coma just weeks ago as news of his ill health had begun to spread.
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Though undoubtably controversial, it is undeniable that Hogan was one of the most influential wrestlers to ever appear in the industry.
His popularity spawned what would later become known as Hulkamania, a phenomenon wherein arenas would explode with excitement at the first sound of Hogan’s theme music.
Through his high profile rivalries with Andre the Giant, The Rock, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and Randy Savage saw him become a celebrity beyond wrestling.
This eventually led to him starring in films such as Rocky III, Gremlins 2, The A-Team, and Gnomeo and Juliet.
Hogan appeared in the WWE throughout the years at various points, right up until earlier this year when he appeared at WWE’s Raw on Netflix debut.
In this appearance, Hogan came back out alongside his longtime manager Jimmy Hart to promote his brand of American beer.
He was booed on his re-entry into the WWE however, noticably shocking Hogan and Hart. This was due in large part to accusations of racism which had plagued Hogan's reputation.
After being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, he was then removed in 2015 after a video of a sexual encounter leaked in which he repeatedly used the N word.
Hogan was recorded ranting about being disgusted by the idea of a black woman dating his daughter, stating he was 'racist - to a point'.
This video was published by Gawker, who Hogan successfully sued for $115 million, later settling for $31 million.
Due to the disgusting racial slurs used in the video, Hogan was dropped by WWE though his lawyer claimed he quit of his own volition.
He would later apologise for the comments, saying: "It was wrong. I'm embarrassed by it but a lot of people need to realize that you inherit things, you're your environment.
"Where I grew up was South Tampa and it was a really rough neighbourhood, very low income and all my friends we greeted each other saying that word."
This was disputed by his neighbours who said they had 'never heard that word growing up'.
Seth Rollins, one of the most popular current superstars in WWE, said they were 'not surprised' when he was booed on his return.
He said: "No, I was not surprised. I mean look, he hasn’t done a lot to harbour goodwill in his name over the past few years. So I just think with everything that’s going on with him, he came out, I saw it coming. I don’t know if anybody else did, but I did, yes."
Hogan was later reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018, and is reported to have told the locker room in his apology to 'be careful because people have cell phones and cameras — so just be careful'.
He would be widely criticised for this, with African American WWE legend Shelton Benjamin later saying: "You lost me forever with your 'don’t get caught' …or, as you would call it, 'apology' speech. So rather than screw up my name and pretend we ever had any sort of camaraderie which we never had. Please do me a favour and [keep my name out your mouth]."
WWE released a statement following Hulk Hogan's death, saying: "WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans."
Michael Slavin