Brooke Hogan has opened up about why she did not attend her dad Hulk Hogan’s funeral service in Florida and how she honored him through her children.
The late legendary pro wrestler was laid to rest in a private ceremony in Clearwater, Florida, on Aug. 5, less than two weeks after his death at 71 from a heart attack on July 24.
On the same day as the funeral, the mother of two, 37, shared on Instagram how she chose to mourn her father’s passing.
“My father hated the morbidity of funerals,” Hogan wrote, captioning a series of photos of her and husband Steven Oleksy holding their two children at the beach as they sat in the shallow water.
“He didn’t want one,” she continued. “And although I know people grieve in many ways — and I’m so grateful for all celebrations and events organized to honor him, as his daughter, I had to make my own decision to honor him the best and most genuine way I knew how…privately…the way that made me feel the closest to him. The only thing missing today was him in his pop up lawn chair watching the waves… and the sunset 💔”
Hogan then noted that she and her family decided to honor her dad “in the simplest way that agreed with my soul.”
“We took our babies to the beach, and put them in the same salty waters you loved,” she said before adding that her daughter “Molly loved the water.”
“I think she’ll be a ‘little fish’ as you called me,” Hogan said. “We love you and honor the things that made you so special. Every grain of sand and every wave reminded me of being your beach baby, and brought us closer to you. I pray you are at peace and know how dearly I love you. Rest in heaven, Daddy❤️”
The former “Hogan Knows Best” star had been estranged from her father, previously writing on Instagram on July 29 that she made the decision “during the last two years” to “step away to protect my heart.”
Singer and reality TV star Brooke Hogan poses for a portrait with her father Hulk Hogan on September 26, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)
She also paid tribute to her dad, writing that they “had a connection deeper than words, one that spanned lifetimes.”
Hogan also wrote that she wanted to “clear a few things up” about their relationship.
“All I ever wanted from my father was love, honesty and a deep connection,” she wrote. “And for a few special years, I had that — with memories that will last a lifetime. My world is forever changed. But I’m deeply blessed with a loving husband and two beautiful children who remind me every day of life’s greatest gifts.”
Hogan did not attend the tributes to her father put on by the WWE at “Friday Night SmackDown” on July 25 and again during “Monday Night RAW.” Her younger brother, Nick Hogan, 35, appeared on center stage during the July 28 tribute.
“For those of you giving me crap for not attending my Dad’s tributes, @wwe did not extend an invite,” Brooke Hogan wrote on her Instagram story on July 30.
In a separate Instagram post on July 29, she shared a video of images of her with her father.
“Our bond is eternal,” she wrote. “That truth brings me comfort and hope, even in your absence.”
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