Hulk Hogan Dismissed in Emotional Funeral Ceremony
Largo, Florida – Dozens of people gathered Tuesday night for the funeral service of legendary wrestler Hulk Hogan, who passed away last month at age 71.
The private ceremony was held in the same church where Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was baptized in 2023.
The death was caused by a heart attack on July 24 at his home in Clearwater, according to the Pinellas County medical examiner.
The coroner’s report indicated that Hogan had previously suffered from leukemia and atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm. His death was classified as natural.
The security of the church and Largo police officers, including K-9 dogs, heavily patrolled the service. Anyone not on the guest list was turned away near signs indicating “Private Event”.
Governor Ron DeSantis ordered last Friday that flags be flown at half-staff at all official buildings, declaring that day as “Hulk Hogan Day in Florida”.
Hogan was perhaps the biggest star in the extensive history of wrestling, known as much for his flamboyant personality as for his achievements in the ring.
He was the main attraction of the first WrestleMania in 1985 and a constant figure for years, facing figures like André The Giant, Randy Savage, The Rock, and even the co-founder of wrestling, Vince McMahon.
Hogan was also a celebrity outside the world of wrestling, appearing in numerous films and television shows, including “Hogan Knows Best”, a reality show about his life on VH1.
Hogan’s body will be cremated.
His daughter Brooke Bollea Oleksy, better known by her stage name Brooke Hogan, paid tribute to her father in a recent social media post.
“I am so grateful to have met the real version of him. Not just the one the world saw through a carefully selected lens,” she wrote on Instagram.
