CLEARWATER, Fla. – Family and friends of professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan will say their final goodbyes Tuesday at a private funeral service in Clearwater.
Death of Hulk Hogan
The backstory:
Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died at age 71 on July 24 after suffering a heart attack.
A post on Hogan’s official Facebook page said he died surrounded by loved ones.
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Hulk Hogan’s legacy
Dig deeper:
Hogan grew up in Tampa and graduated from Robinson High School before stepping foot into the squared circle, working in various National Wrestling Alliance territories before rising to global fame.
His big break on the silver screen came in 1982 when he portrayed Thunderlips in “Rocky III.”
READ: Hulk Hogan’s legacy stretches outside of the ring
From there, “Hulkamania” ran wild in the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association (AWA), where he worked main event matches in front of sold-out crowds in 1983.
Then, in 1984, it was the World Wrestling Federation, now known as WWE, that catapulted Hogan to worldwide prominence. He won his first WWF Championship in a match with The Iron Shiek on Jan. 23, 1984, at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Hogan became a pop culture phenomenon, winning six world championships with WWE and another six with Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
He also starred in three television shows: “Hogan Knows Best,” “Thunder in Paradise,” and “China, IL,” as well as in Right Guard commercials and the video game Hulk Hogan’s Main Event.
Off-screen, Hogan was a fixture in the Tampa Bay area, including the popular Hogan’s Beach Shop on Clearwater Beach, where fans have been paying tribute to him since his death.
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What’s next:
Hogan’s funeral on Tuesday will be a private service in Clearwater.
The Source: This story was written with information from WWE and previous FOX 13 News reports.