Terry Gene Bollea, known to millions around the world as Hulk Hogan, has died at the age of 71. The professional wrestling legend was reportedly found unresponsive in his Clearwater, Florida, home on Thursday morning. Emergency responders were called to the scene for a cardiac arrest, and Hogan was transported from the residence on a stretcher, according to TMZ.
Hogan rose to superstardom in the 1980s and became one of the most iconic figures in World Wrestling Entertainment history. With his handlebar mustache, bandana, and larger-than-life persona, he helped bring wrestling into the mainstream, headlining multiple WrestleManias and becoming a household name far beyond the ring. He captivated audiences with his charisma, power and famous catchphrases like “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?”
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But in recent years, the man behind the muscle had turned his attention away from the spotlight and toward something far deeper, his relationship with Jesus Christ.
“I was saved when I was 14,” Hogan said during an appearance on the Try That in a Small Town podcast. “I accepted Christ as my Savior then, but it took a while for me to get it.” He admitted that fame and fortune pulled him away from that early faith. “Rock and roll music, wrestling… I didn’t follow the path for many years.”
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Still, after decades of personal battles and public trials, Hogan said he had fully surrendered his life to God. “I said, ‘You know what? I’ve fought harder than anybody… And I’m just so tired of being in the same empty, back-to-zero space,’” he said. That surrender, he explained, has brought peace into his life. “Now I just tell my big God about my little problems.”
Hogan’s journey of faith was not without struggle. He candidly admitted to restlessness and emotional turbulence, particularly in the quiet of the evening hours when the roar of the crowd was long gone. But he credited his wife, Sky, and his renewed relationship with God for keeping him grounded. “She’s just been a Godsend… She’s been my best friend,” he said.
Though he once stood tall in front of millions as a larger-than-life champion, in his final years, Hulk Hogan found strength in humility, silence and surrender. “It’s amazing where I’m at now in my life,” he reflected. “I didn’t realize I was going to have to be 71 years old to figure it out, but it’s just an amazing place to be right now.”
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Hulk Hogan leaves behind a legacy not just of championship belts and thunderous applause, but of resilience, repentance and redemption, his final chapter marked by a quiet trust in the Lord he returned to late in life.
Prepared by Charisma Media Staff
