Hulk Hogan, the entertainer who made professional wrestling a global phenomenon, has died at the age of 71.
Authorities responded to a call in Clearwater, Florida, on Thursday morning about a cardiac arrest. Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said on Facebook.
Professional wrestling promoter WWE confirmed his passing.
"WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture's most recognisable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s," WWE said on X.
Hogan shot to fame in the 1980s as the centrepiece of the WWE and turned wrestling from a carnival spectacle into a family-friendly entertainment genre worth billions of dollars.
Hogan was back in the international spotlight last July when he gave a speech at the Republican National Convention, where he ripped open his wrestling vest to reveal a Trump-Vance T-shirt.
President Donald Trump praised the "Hulkster" as being "Maga all the way", and paid tribute to the "strong, tough and smart" wrestler with the "biggest heart".
Born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia, on August 11, 1953, the future Hulk Hogan relocated to Tampa Florida. He played bass guitar, but felt the lure of wrestling in the Florida territory in the 1970s. After learning the trade as a professional wrestler, he found his way into the WWE in the early 1980s.
Picked by then promoter Vince McMahon as his main competitor, the pair embarked on turning the wrestling company into a nationwide, and ultimately, a global juggernaught.
He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and even McMahon himself in matches that were scripted with a pre-determined result.
He won at least six WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
