WWE legend Hulk Hogan passed away at the age of 71

WWE legend Hulk Hogan passed away at the age of 71 on Thursday (July 24)

In a news that comes as a saddening development for the WWE and its fans worldwide, Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan was announced dead in Florida on Thursday (July 24). In the early hours of the day, medics were sent to Hogan's home and the reports from TMZ Sportss stated that he had suffered a cardiac arrest.

Subsequently, a flurry of police vehicles and ambulance arrived at Hogan's residence before he was taken off in a stretcher. It had been close to a year since hogan had been battling with multiple issues including a neck surgery in May. He had undergone major surgeries and there were rumours of him being in coma too, something that was vehemently denied by his wife. She had also mentioned that her husband was getting increasingly stable in his medical condition.

Officially born as Terry Bollea, he took to his WWE stage name of Hulk Hogan and played a pivotal part in changing the dynamics of WWE in the 1990s. In 1996, he also underwent an image makeover for the WWE scripts, renaming himself as Hollywood Hogan and this was a phase that rejuvenated his wrestling career. In 2005, Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame but ten years later, he was removed due to allegations of racism which surfaced from a leaked tape. Hogan, though, fought the allegations head-on and sued the media house that leaked the tape, eventually winning the legal case as well. In 2020, he was back in the Hall of Fame list.

Fellow WWE legend Ric Flair expressed his sorrow over his buddy's demise and put him a heart-warming post on the social media network X.

"I Am Absolutely Shocked To Hear About The Passing Of My Close Friend," wrote Flair.

"@HulkHogan! Hulk Has Been By My Side Since We Started In The Wrestling Business. An Incredible Athlete, Talent, Friend, And Father! Our Friendship Has Meant The World To Me. He Was Always There For Me Even When I Didn’t Ask For Him To Be. He Was One Of The First To Visit Me When I Was In The Hospital With A 2% Chance Of Living, And He Prayed By My Bedside. Hulk Also Lent Me Money When Reid Was Sick. Hulkster, No One Will Ever Compare To You! Rest In Peace My Friend! "

Ric's daughter, Charlotte who is also a professional wrestler, also tweeted her tribute to Hogan and the father-daughter tweets reflected the close bond that existed between Ric, Hogan and their respective families.

"When I nearly lost my dad 8 years ago, one of the few people who was there for all of it was Hulk Hogan," wrote Charlotte on X. "My heart breaks for Nick and Brooke. Rest in peace, brother"