The wrestling world mourns the loss of an icon, but behind the public tributes lies a family grappling with years of fractured relationships and unresolved conflicts. When Hulk Hogan passed away from cardiac arrest at his Clearwater, Florida home on July 24, 2025, he left behind not just a legendary career, but a family torn apart by allegations, estrangement, and painful secrets that had been years in the making.
The Final Moments
Wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan died at his home in Clearwater, Florida, surrounded by family, his manager Chris Volo confirmed to NBC Los Angeles. Clearwater Fire and Rescue responded to his home at 9:51 a.m. Thursday for a reported cardiac arrest. The 71-year-old wrestling legend’s death marked the end of an era, but it also highlighted the complex family dynamics that had defined his personal life in recent years.
A video of the scene outside Hogan’s residence shows responders desperately trying to save his life as he was transported to an ambulance. In the clip, several paramedics appear to be conducting chest compressions as Hogan is wheeled to the emergency vehicle. Despite the efforts of emergency personnel, the man who had survived countless battles in the wrestling ring could not overcome this final challenge.
A Family Fractured by Years of Conflict
At the time of his death, Hulk Hogan’s family situation was far from the idealized portrait once presented on their reality TV show “Hogan Knows Best.” Hogan is survived by his wife Sky Daily and his children Brooke Hogan and Nick Hogan, but the relationships between family members had become severely strained in the months and years leading up to his passing.
Hulk Hogan is survived by his wife, Sky Daily, whom he married in September 2023. Sky, a certified yoga instructor, had been a supportive partner during his later years and was reportedly with him when he passed. The relatively new marriage represented a second chance at happiness for Hogan, who had endured a bitter divorce from his first wife Linda in 2009.
However, the presence of a loving wife could not heal the deep rifts that had developed within the broader Hogan family, particularly with his children from his previous marriage.
Brooke’s Devastating Allegations
The most shocking aspect of the family situation involves Hogan’s relationship with his daughter Brooke, which had completely deteriorated by the time of his death. Brooke stressed her no-contact relationship with both Hulk and Linda came down to “completely separate reasons,” adding, “No contact with my Mom has nothing to do with my Dad, and no contact with my Father has nothing to do with my Mother”.
In a devastating Instagram post from March 2025, just months before her father’s death, Brooke described difficulties from her childhood, noting, “I have been EXTREMELY verbally and mentally abused since childhood. Sadly, it would frequently turn physical”. These allegations paint a disturbing picture of life behind the scenes of America’s most famous wrestling family.
In addition to describing how the alleged treatment left lasting damage to her self-esteem and confidence, Brooke spoke to the experiences she’s had navigating her relationship with her family in the public eye. The contrast between the happy family portrayed on television and the reality Brooke described was stark and heartbreaking.
The Grandmother Who Never Met Her Grandchildren
Perhaps most tragically, Brooke Hogan gave birth to twins in January 2025, making them his first known grandchildren. However, due to the family estrangement, Linda revealed that she hadn’t actually spoken to her daughter in almost eight years, to the point where Brooke didn’t tell either of her parents that she had given birth to twins.
The twins, Oliver and Molly, born to Brooke and her husband Steven Oleksy, represented new life and hope for the family, but the estrangement meant that Hulk Hogan died having barely known his first grandchildren. Linda blamed this on Brooke’s relationship with her dad, with Linda claiming that Brooke and Terry had a massive bust-up that led to her cutting both of her parents out of her life.
Nick Caught in the Middle
Nick, 34, the youngest child of Hulk, 71, and Linda, 65, has refrained from directly inserting himself into the latest family drama involving his parents and his sister Brooke, 36. A source described his impossible position: “He’s caught in the middle… He has pressure from a lot of different people to just kind of stay where he is. You know, just stay quiet. He has a lot to lose from a few different ends”.
Despite the family chaos, Nick had maintained a relationship with his father. Nick shared a touching Father’s Day tribute to his famous father to celebrate the day back in June. He posted a photo on Instagram of him as a kid posing with his dad and captioned it with, “Had a great Father’s Day with the goat! Happy Father’s Day to all the awesome dads!”
This Father’s Day post, shared just weeks before Hogan’s death, now serves as a bittersweet final public tribute from son to father, made all the more poignant by the timing.
A History of Tragedy and Scandal
The Hogan family’s troubles were not new. The bad behavior of the Hogan family first really hit headlines back in 2007 when Nick Hogan, 17 years old at the time, was arrested on charges of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury after a street racing crash in Clearwater. The accident left his friend John Graziano with severe brain injuries requiring lifelong care.
Once he got out of prison, Nick seemed to get his life back on the right track, eventually marrying pornographic actress Tana Lea, but not before his legal troubles cropped up once more in November 2023, when he was arrested for driving under the influence while his father was in the car.
The family also endured the devastating scandal in 2015 when Brooke’s father was caught up in a sex tape scandal that outed him as being a racist, as he had a problem with Brooke dating a black man. Despite the racist comments her father made about her relationship, Brooke did go to bat for her dad in 2015 when he was caught up in a sex tape scandal, showing the complex nature of their relationship even amid the abuse allegations she would later make.
Linda’s Tearful Confession
Just months before Hogan’s death, the family drama had reached a boiling point. Linda shared a tearful monologue to Instagram. “I’m okay with most things, but today, something hit,” the 65-year-old began the video posted on her Instagram Stories March 26. “It’s been 15—or longer—years since I left Hulk Hogan and my family is in the worst mess”.
She continued, “Brooke doesn’t talk to us. She’s had twins. She got married, she didn’t tell us… She had a huge fight with Terry. I don’t know how that reflected onto me, but she cut me out too”. Linda’s public breakdown revealed the depth of pain within the family and the complete breakdown in communication between the generations.
The Silent Grief
As news of Hogan’s death spread across the world, the family’s public silence spoke volumes about their fractured state. While no official statement has been released by the family yet, the absence of immediate tributes from his children highlighted the unresolved nature of their relationships.
In a statement, World Wrestling Entertainment said it’s “saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away.” “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”.
The wrestling world’s tributes poured in immediately, but the family’s silence was deafening. This absence of immediate family statements suggests that even in death, the deep wounds within the Hogan family remained unhealed.
Recent Health Struggles
News of the athlete’s latest hospitalization comes less than three months after his daughter, Brooke Hogan—with whom he shares with Linda along with son Nick Hogan, 34—spoke out regarding their strained family. The timing was particularly cruel, as Hogan faced his final health battle while estranged from one of his children.
Just a few weeks ago, Hogan’s wife, Sky, whom he married in September 2023, denied rumors he was in a coma, indicating that even those closest to him were trying to protect his privacy and dignity during his health struggles.
A Complex Legacy
Hogan’s death marks the end of an era in both wrestling and pop culture. He leaves behind a complex legacy, shaped by both triumphs and controversies, and is remembered by millions of fans worldwide. However, for his family, his death represents not just the loss of a global icon, but the end of any chance for reconciliation and healing.
The contrast between Hogan’s public persona as a larger-than-life hero and the private family struggles with allegations of abuse creates a complex portrait of a man who conquered the world but struggled to maintain peace in his own home. His death leaves behind unanswered questions, unresolved conflicts, and a family still grappling with decades of pain.
The Financial Aftermath
At the time of his death, wrestling icon Hulk Hogan had an estimated net worth of $25 million, a figure shaped by decades of fame, legal battles, and extravagant living. The family’s estrangement raises questions about inheritance and how his estate will be divided among family members who had been out of contact for years.
His divorce from Linda Hogan in 2007 also took a significant toll—he surrendered 70% of their liquid assets, $3 million in cash, and 40% ownership in several business ventures, demonstrating how family conflicts had already impacted his financial situation significantly.
Steven Oleksy: The Peacemaker
One bright spot in the family saga has been Brooke’s husband, Steven Oleksy, who has attempted to bridge the gaps within the family. A source exclusively told Us Weekly how Brooke’s husband, former NHL player Steven Oleksy, has been attempting to broker peace between his wife and Hulk for “years”.
The source said Oleksy, 39, has directly requested a “man-to-man conversation” from Hulk multiple times since he began dating Brooke. “Unfortunately, that’s never been in the cards,” the source said. Oleksy’s efforts to heal the family divide were ultimately unsuccessful, but they demonstrate that some family members were working toward reconciliation even as the relationships deteriorated.
The Twins Who Never Knew Their Grandfather
Perhaps the most heartbreaking aspect of Hogan’s death is that his grandchildren, Oliver and Molly, born in January 2025, will grow up knowing their grandfather only through his public persona and media coverage. The family estrangement meant that Hogan missed the opportunity to build relationships with the next generation of his family.
The twins represent both loss and hope – the loss of relationships that could have been healed, but also the hope that future generations might find ways to break the cycles of conflict that had defined their family for so long.
Looking Forward
As the Hogan family now faces the aftermath of the patriarch’s death, they must navigate not only their grief but also the complex emotions surrounding their fractured relationships. The public nature of their conflicts means that their mourning process will likely be scrutinized by media and fans who followed their family drama through reality television and social media.
The question remains whether Hogan’s death might serve as a catalyst for healing among the surviving family members, or whether the wounds are too deep to overcome. For now, the family grieves separately, each dealing with their own complex mix of loss, regret, and unresolved pain.
Hulk Hogan’s death at 71 marks the end of a wrestling legend, but for his family, it represents a far more complicated legacy – one marked by love and loss, fame and pain, triumph and tragedy. The man who once asked millions of fans “What are you going to do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?” leaves behind a family still searching for answers to their own questions about forgiveness, healing, and moving forward without him.
Adrian Hawthorne is a celebrated author and dedicated archivist who finds inspiration in the hidden stories of the past. Educated at Oxford, he now works at the National Archives, where preserving history fuels his evocative writing. Balancing archival precision with creative storytelling, Adrian founded the Hawthorne Institute of Literary Arts to mentor emerging writers and honor the timeless art of narrative.