WWE star Hulk Hogan dead at 71

That'll be a great feeling for Hollywood Hogan right now

Hulk Hogan, the legendary showman who body slammed his way into the hearts of millions, has died

The WWE Hall of Famer, known for his legacy spanning decades in the ring and on the screen, was 71 years old

TMZ was the first to report that paramedics were dispatched to Hogan's home in Clearwater, Florida, early Thursday morning following a reported cardiac arrest

Sources say he was carried out on a stretcher and rushed into an ambulance

The former wrestler had struggled with his health issues in recent years

Just recently, his wife publicly dismissed online rumors that he had fallen into a coma

And last month, a new wave of concern was sparked when radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge implied Hogan's condition was grave

I got some pretty reliable information last night that there are phone calls being made to various family members about getting to town to come say your goodbyes

But on that same day, TMZ Sports reported that 71-year-old Hogan was hospitalized with neck and back issues, but not on his deathbed

The same sources told TMZ Sports in June that Hogan was already back to moving around and underwent a successful neck surgery in May, despite years of physical toll from a decades-long career in the ring

Hulk Hogan was more than a wrestler. He was a phenomenon. His rise began in the early 1980s when he signed with the World Wrestling Federation, becoming the face of Vince McMahon's vision to turn wrestling into a national and international spectacle

a five time WWF champion dur run, Hogan held the title day stretch the longest r era No doubt I love you g And off the mat he became a pop culture force fronting toy lines

appearing on cereal boxes, and even had his own reality show, Hogan Knows Best, which aired on VH1

in the early 2000s. He also headlined Saturday morning cartoons and starred in films like No

holds Bard and Suburban Commando. As well as TV shows like Thunder in Paradise

Hogan's final match came in 2012, a six-man tag team event in the UK that quietly marked the end

of his in-ring legacy. While Hogan was celebrated for his wrestling legacy, his career didn't come

without controversy. In 2015, he was heard in a leaked sex tape using racial slurs

prompting WWE to terminate his contract and remove him from their Hall of Fame website

Please forgive me. I'm a nice guy. It's not the Hulk Hogan that rips the shirt off and bang

bang, bang, slams giants. He was reinstated into the Hall of Fame in 2018 and also sued Gawker

Media for publishing that sex tape without his consent. That case led to a $31 million settlement

that ultimately put Gawker out of business. And when he returned to the WWE stage years later, this January in fact

some fans welcomed Hogan while others booed. WWE issued a statement shortly after his confirmed passing Thursday morning

saying they are 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

With Straight Arrow news, I'm Kennedy Felton. Download our app or visit san.com for more