In a heartbreaking loss for generations of fans around the world, legendary professional wrestler and pop culture icon Hulk Hogan — born Terry Gene Bollea — has died at the age of 71. Hogan reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest at his Clearwater, Florida home on Thursday, July 24. Emergency responders arrived quickly on the scene, and TMZ reports he was stretchered out of his residence, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Born on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia, and raised in Tampa, Florida, Hogan rose to fame as the face of professional wrestling during its 1980s golden era. With his unmistakable handlebar mustache, yellow bandanas, and booming “Hulkamania” catchphrases, he transcended the squared circle to become one of the most recognizable figures in global entertainment. His charisma helped transform the then-WWF (now WWE) into a mainstream cultural force, headlining countless events including the first several WrestleManias.
Hogan‘s contributions to sports entertainment are virtually unmatched — from body-slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III to his villainous turn as “Hollywood Hogan” in WCW’s nWo faction, he reinvented himself more than once and helped shape the industry as we know it.
But what may come as a surprise to fans outside the heavy metal community is that Hulk Hogan’s ambitions stretched far beyond wrestling — into the world of rock and metal.
Before the bright lights of WrestleMania, Hogan was immersed in Tampa’s local music scene. A skilled bass player in his youth, he performed in several bands, most notably the hard rock outfit RUCKUS, which enjoyed modest recognition in Florida’s club circuit. Hogan’s musical side, though largely overshadowed by his wrestling superstardom, made a bizarre resurfacing in the 2000s — when he claimed he had once tried to join METALLICA.
In a 2009 interview promoting his autobiography My Life Outside the Ring, Hogan revealed to The Chicago Tribune that he reached out to METALLICA after bassist Jason Newsted left the band in 2001. “When METALLICA was looking for a bass player, I called and never heard a word back from them,” Hogan said. “I would have quit wrestling in a heartbeat to be a bass player for METALLICA.”
Though his time in the ring has long passed, and his rockstar dreams remained unfulfilled, Hogan’s influence endures. He leaves behind an unmatched legacy that bridges sports, pop culture, and yes — even heavy metal mythology.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.