Hogan helped elevate US wrestling to a global phenomenon during the 1980s with his flair and bravado.
Hulk Hogan, the American sport and entertainment star who made professional wrestling a global phenomenon, has died at the age of 71, World Wrestling Entertainment said.
“WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away,” World Wrestling Entertainment wrote in a social media post on Thursday. “One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.”
Hogan, whose legal name was Terry Bollea, became a universal symbol of WWE during the 1980s, with a beach-blonde handlebar moustache, bandanas, and towering physique that he paired with an over-the-top persona that endeared him to fans and captured the spectacle of wrestling entertainment. He referred to his bulging arms as “24-inch pythons” and often waved a US flag in the ring.
Hogan was twice inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and was never shy about his icon status, calling himself as the “Babe Ruth” of wrestling in a reference to the US baseball phenom who became synonymous with the sport.
