Hulk Hogan was already ‘heartbroken’ months before his fatal cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida, on Thursday. He was 71.
A symbol of American patriotism and machismo who succeeded in everything from wrestling to Hollywood to reality television, the man born Terry Bollea had gone eight years without speaking to his daughter Brooke, 36.
The exact details of the estrangement were never fully revealed, but the Daily Mail understands that, despite their ups and downs, Hogan believed – to his dying day – they would reconcile.
‘The last few months of Hogan’s life had a lot more ups than downs,’ an insider told the Daily Mail.
‘There was a little strain with his daughter and their relationship that had taken quite the emotional toll, but he always thought he would eventually be able to rectify that.’
It is also understood that his sudden death has left those closest to him in shock.
‘He was still extremely close to his son,’ our source added. ‘It is a surprise and doesn’t feel real at all to his family and friends.’
Hogan’s career spent in the wrestling ring also took a toll on him – leaving the athlete with ‘the body of a 140-year-old man,’ one inside source told the Daily Mail in April.
But for all of his physical problems, which included a major neck surgery in June, Hogan’s final years may be best remembered for his fractured home life, which a source previously revealed left him ‘heartbroken’.
©Daily Mail