Obituary: Hulk Hogan Helped Turn Pro Wrestling Into a Billion-Dollar Spectacle

Hulk Hogan, the American sports and entertainment star who made professional wrestling a global phenomenon, has died at the age of 71, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) said on July 24.

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MIAMI - Hulk Hogan, the American sports and entertainment star who made professional wrestling a global phenomenon, has died at the age of 71, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) said on July 24.

"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," it said on X.

The police in Clearwater, Florida, said the authorities had responded to a medical call for a cardiac arrest at Hogan's residence on the morning of July 24.

Hogan was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, they said.

The bleach-blond, mahogany-tanned behemoth became the face of professional wrestling in the 1980s, helping transform the mock combat from a seedy spectacle into family-friendly entertainment worth billions of dollars.

A key moment in that evolution came at the WrestleMania III extravaganza in 1987, when Hogan hoisted fellow wrestler Andre the Giant for a thunderous body slam of the Frenchman.

Hogan parlayed his wrestling fame into a less successful career in Hollywood, starring in films like Rocky III (1982) and Santa With Muscles (1996), but kept returning to the ring as long as his body would allow.