Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered Florida and U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff on Aug. 1 in honor of professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, who died at age 71 on July 24 of a heart attack at his home in Clearwater, in the Tampa Bay area.
Hogan, born Terry Bollea, was a longtime Florida resident and a cultural icon whose outsized persona made him a household name, despite a career later marred by controversy.
“His larger-than-life personality will be missed,” DeSantis wrote in a statement, adding that Hogan “was an icon for many who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s as well as today. He was a true Floridian through and through.”
Hulk Hogan: a WWE hall of famer
Hogan was born in Augusta, Georgia, but moved to Tampa at a young age.
He began his wrestling career in 1977 and rose to international fame after joining the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice — first in 2005 and again in 2020 as a member of the New World Order.
In honor of his legacy, DeSantis proclaimed Aug. 1, 2025, as “Hulk Hogan Day in Florida.”
Flags will be lowered at the state Capitol in Tallahassee and at all state and local buildings throughout Pinellas County from sunrise to sunset, the governor said.
Hulk Hogan’s sex tape and racist slurs
While Hogan’s career brought him fame and admiration, his later years included a highly publicized lawsuit and backlash over racist remarks.
In 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hogan more than $115 million in damages after Gawker Media published a sex tape involving him and the wife of his then-best friend.
The court battle unearthed footage of Hogan using racial slurs in the mid-2000s while referring to his daughter’s Black boyfriend. WWE fired him after the leak of the tape, which included a racist rant.
Hogan later said his language was a reflection of his upbringing in a “rough” South Tampa neighborhood.
In August 2015, he became emotional during a televised interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, where he apologized and asked fans for forgiveness.
