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WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan secretly battled leukemia prior to his death, according to Pinellas County Forensic Science Center documents obtained by Page Six on Thursday (July 31).
Hogan, 71, whose real name was Terry Bollea, reportedly had a history of atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is categorized in patients with an irregular and often rapid heart rate, as well as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a cancer that affects white blood cells, though the diagnosis that wasn't previously revealed to the public. The legendary wrestler's cause of death was determined to be acute myocardial infarction, which occurs when blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked, resulting in tissue damage, the documents confirmed.
Hogan's death was ruled as natural and the Pinellas County Forensic Center confirmed that a request was made to have him cremated.
“I am not aware when Mr. Bollea will be cremated, only that we received a request for cremation approval," a spokesperson told Page Six.
WWE confirmed Hulk Hogan's death in tribute posts shared on its social media account following TMZ Sports' initial report las Thursday (July 24).
Medics reportedly responded to a reported "cardiac arrest" at Hogan's Clearwater home early Thursday morning, with the dispatch audio clip obtained and shared by TMZ Sports. Sources with knowledge of the situation told TMZ Sports that several police vehicles and EMTs were parked outside the wrestling legend's home and he was reported to be carried out on a stretcher and into an ambulance.
Hogan's death came weeks after his wife denied rumors that he was in a coma, claiming his heart was "strong" while recovering from surgeries, according to TMZ Sports. The website had previously reported rumors of the wrestler being on his "deathbed," which were later clarified to be symptoms of a neck procedure in May.
The Hulk Hogan character is one of the most well-known in the history of professional wrestling, leading WWE to become a global enterprise in the 1980s as the face of the company during its popularity boom. Bollea was a five-time WWE (then-WWF) Champion, which included a 1,474-day reign as the longest of the WrestleMania era and a six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, where he was the leader of the New World Order as 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan during his tenure with the now-defunct promotion.
Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice as both an individual and as a member of the faction.