Hulk Hogan’s death has taken another dramatic turn as questions continue to mount over the medical care he received in the weeks before his passing.
The wrestling icon, born Terry Bollea, died on July 24 at the age of 71, but nearly a month later the circumstances surrounding his death remain clouded in uncertainty. Officially, records from the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center list his cause of death as a heart attack, with a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and irregular heartbeat contributing factors. Yet, new claims from his family and those close to him suggest there may have been more to the story.
Hogan’s wife, Sky Daily, told TMZ Sports that one of his surgeries earlier this year left his phrenic nerve “compromised.” The phrenic nerve is essential to breathing, as it controls the diaphragm. Damage to it can make it extremely difficult — and in some cases impossible — for someone to breathe properly.
Daily also revealed that Hogan’s autopsy has already been completed, but she stopped short of disclosing the results. “We’ve had questions from the very beginning about the treatment he received,” she said. “We just want to know exactly what happened.”
An occupational therapist who was present at Hogan’s Clearwater, Florida, home on the day he died provided an even more alarming account to police. According to TMZ, the therapist told officers that one of Hogan’s surgeons had actually “severed” the phrenic nerve during a recent procedure. The claims were reportedly discussed on the scene by police and captured on body cam, though those recordings have been placed under lockdown.
The revelations have only deepened suspicions within the Hogan family. His daughter, Brooke Hogan, 37, took to Instagram this week to address the speculation head-on. In a series of posts, she revealed she has been contacted directly by professionals — ranging from nurses to police officials — who told her she needs to see both the body cam footage and the 911 tapes from the day of her father’s death.
“Here’s ALL I KNOW. So stop speculating, stop asking,” Brooke wrote. “FACT: I’ve 100% gotten legit calls from professionals — from police officials to nurses that were supposedly with my dad on the day of his death telling ME I need to see body cam footage and I need to get a hold of the 911 tapes because they supposedly contain information that could potentially shed enough light to change the narrative we/I/everyone’s been hearing.”
She continued: “Those same professionals feel so passionately about what they witnessed, they have continued to contact me and push me to find specific answers to this very day. They are quite literally putting their careers at risk because they feel so compelled to do the right thing.”
Brooke had already expressed concern shortly after Hogan’s passing, even offering to pay for an independent autopsy if necessary. Her comments this week underline how determined she remains to uncover the truth about what led to her father’s death.
Meanwhile, Sky Daily said earlier this month that Hogan’s cremation was delayed because of the outstanding questions surrounding his care. As of this week, she confirmed he still has not been cremated.
The swirl of uncertainty has cast a long shadow over Hogan’s final chapter. The larger-than-life wrestling star, who became a household name during the 1980s as the face of WWE, had endured a long list of health struggles over the years. Multiple back and hip surgeries had left him in constant pain, and his battle with leukemia had taken a toll. Still, Hogan had remained a visible and active presence in the wrestling community, making public appearances and staying connected to fans until the very end.
For millions around the world, Hogan was not just a wrestler but a cultural phenomenon. His trademark “Hulkamania” persona, with its catchphrases and showmanship, helped transform wrestling from a niche sport into a mainstream spectacle. He headlined WrestleMania after WrestleMania, feuded with giants like André the Giant and Randy Savage, and later reinvented himself as “Hollywood Hogan” during the explosive era of the nWo in WCW.
But now, as fans mourn his death, his family is wrestling with a different kind of storyline — one that involves hospitals, surgeons, and unanswered questions.
The police report connected to Hogan’s death remains sealed, leaving only fragments of information available to the public. What is clear is that conflicting narratives have emerged: an official ruling of a heart attack on one hand, and a family convinced that surgical mistakes and possible medical negligence may have played a role on the other.
The tension is palpable. Brooke has made it clear she is not backing down, while Sky Daily continues to seek clarity about the surgery and its aftermath. “We are still waiting on more answers,” Daily told TMZ this week. “And we will not stop until we have them.”
For now, the world is left to wait as Hogan’s family pushes for further transparency. Whether the release of body cam footage or emergency call recordings will provide the closure they seek remains to be seen.
One thing is certain: the man who once told fans to “say your prayers and take your vitamins” now leaves behind a legacy complicated not only by his larger-than-life career but by the unresolved questions about his final days.
And as Brooke Hogan put it herself: “Those who were there know what they saw. They believe it matters. So do I. And I won’t stop until I know the full truth.”
