Hulk Hogan’s cause of death revealed

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The cause of death for professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan in Florida last week was a heart attack, according to a report from the Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Hogan, 71, who was the face of pro wrestling for decades and helped promoter Vince McMahon Jr. transform wrestling from a grimy, low-budget territorial operation to a glitzy, multibillion-dollar industry in the 1980s, died on July 24.

According to a cremation approval report from the medical examiner’s office, Hogan’s cause of death was listed as myocardial infarction, which is commonly known as a heart attack, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Hogan’s death was a consequence of atrial fibrillation and leukemia. The cause of death was determined by Hogan’s doctor, an investigator from the medical examiner’s office told the newspaper.

The medical examiner did not perform an autopsy, an investigator in the office told the Times, because the death was not suspicious.

No plans for a public memorial for Hogan have been announced.

Hogan’s cause of death was first reported by the New York Post.

Hogan, who was born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia, on Aug. 11, 1953, grew up in the Port Tampa neighborhood of Tampa, Florida.

Hogan began wrestling professionally in 1977.

His passion was music, but he also became enamored with pro wrestling after watching WWWF (now known as WWE) champion “Superstar” Billy Graham perform.

Hogan would wrestle in the Championship Wrestling From Florida promotion as Sterling Golden. By 1979, he had reached the WWF.​

Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik on Jan. 23, 1984, at New York’s Madison Square Garden. He would hold the belt in McMahon’s organization six times and was a six-time world champ in the rival WCW promotion.

After joining WCW, Hogan jolted wrestling fans with one of the all-time great turns, becoming a heel by attacking Randy “Macho Man” Savage at the Bash at the Beach pay-per-view event on July 7, 1996. He joined with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall (the Outsiders), to form the New World Order, or nWo.

Hogan appeared in several films, including as Thunderlips in “Rocky III.” He played a pro wrestler in “No Holds Barred” (1989) and an ex-wrestler-turned-caregiver in “Mr. Nanny” (1993). He also played a mercenary in the television series “Thunder in Paradise.”

Hogan’s character was also animated in “Hulk Hogan’s Rock ’n’ Wrestling” cartoon in 1985-86.

In 2005, he appeared in a reality television series, “Hogan Knows Best,” along with his wife at the time and his two children.

Recently, Hogan had been participating in a Netflix documentary about his life and had shot more than 50 hours of footage. Hulk Hogan’s Slam Sports Bar is also set to open soon across the street from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

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