Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan suffered from leukaemia in secret before his death
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US pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan died at the age of 71 on July 24.
PHOTO: AFP
American wrestling legend Hulk Hogan was battling leukaemia in private before his death, according to the American media.
The former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died at age 71 on July 24.
Quoting from the Pinellas County Forensic Science Centre in Florida, American celebrity news website Page Six reported on July 31 that Hogan had a history of leukaemia, a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.
The WWE Hall of Famer’s battle with the condition was believed not to be publicly known.
Page Six said the official cause of Hogan’s death was acute myocardial infarction, or a heart attack.
The website also quoted a document from the forensic science centre stating that Hogan had a history of atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.
Hogan’s manner of death was ruled as natural, according to the medical examiner, which provided the latest updates in a cremation approval report.
The Clearwater Police Department in Florida said in a July 24 post on Facebook that it responded to a medical call for a cardiac arrest at Hogan’s home that day. He was treated by the rescue crew before being taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Rumours of Hogan’s poor health had been circulating since June, after American radio personality Bubba The Love Sponge said during a live stream that the wrestler was “in the hospital” and “might not make it”.
Hogan’s representative told American entertainment news portal E! News then the wrestler “had problems with his back” for years and that he had undergone successful neck surgery.
Hogan is survived by his third wife Sky Daily; daughter Brooke, 37, and son Nick, 35, both from his marriage with his first wife Linda Claridge; as well as two grandchildren.
