Hulk Hogan's dream of reconciling with estranged daughter in his final days: 'he held out hope'

Hulk Hogan, the wrestling icon, was privately battling profound personal sorrow in the months leading up to his unexpected death at 71, insiders have revealed.

Known inreal life as Terry Bollea, Hogan suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida on Thursday. Yet behind his towering persona as an all-American hero and larger-than-life entertainer, Hogan was grappling with the pain of a lengthy estrangement from his daughter, Brooke.

The 36 year old hadn't spoken to her dad for eight years. While the precise cause of their relationship breakdown was never fully disclosed, it's reported that Hogan remained hopeful they would one day reconcile.

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"The last few months of Hogan's life had more highs than lows," an insider told the Daily Mail. "There was a bit of tension with his daughter and their relationship that had taken quite the emotional toll, but he always believed he would eventually be able to mend that."

His sudden demise has reportedly left those closest to him in shock, reports the Express.

"He was still incredibly close to his son," the source added. "It is a surprise and doesn't feel real at all to his family and friends."

Hogan's years in the ring took a severe physical toll. Back in April, an insider described his condition as having "the body of a 140-year-old man."

In June, he underwent major neck surgery.

But even more than his physical decline, insiders say it was the fractured state of his family life that weighed most heavily on him.

Earlier this year, Brooke publicly addressed her estrangement from both her parents, alleging she had been "verbally and mentally abused since childhood."

However, she emphasised that the allegations were "not pointed at either person."

According to TMZ, Brooke and her father did have a conversation before his passing, and she was able to express her love for him.

Her husband, ice hockey player Steven Oleksy, reportedly made several unsuccessful attempts to bridge the family divide.

While Hogan largely kept quiet about the family rift, his ex-wife Linda was much more outspoken. The 65 year old branded him a "complete liar" and a "sex addict" in a candid online video shared in March.

"I'm just home by myself today," Linda said, tearfully. "Again, as usual, I'm okay with most things, but today something hit. I don't know what hit, but I look terrible because I've been crying."

Reflecting on her daughter's absence, she continued: "She's had twins, she got married, she didn't tell us. She had a huge row with Terry. I don't know how that reflected onto me. But she cut me out, too. I haven't spoken to her for seven years - almost eight years now."

Linda added that their son, 34 year old Nick, remains a beacon of light in her life: "God bless Nick."

However, she reserved her most scathing remarks for Hogan, despite his 2023 marriage to third wife Sky Daily.

"I've given him more opportunities to come back and make us a family," Linda said. "I've never put a Facebook [post] out like this with my ugly face and my crying face, but I have to be honest about what I went through in my marriage with Terry. It's been 20 years and I'm still this sad. Somebody please explain that. I don't know. It just doesn't get better."

The pair's stormy romance unfolded before the public gaze, especially following their meteoric rise to reality television stardom in 2005 with Hogan Knows Best.

Their son Nick battled with life in the limelight, and in 2007 was caught up in a collision that left his 22 year old mate John Graziano with lifelong injuries.

Linda petitioned for divorce soon afterwards and started seeing a 19 year old, although the romance fizzled out.

In 2012, she was nicked for allegedly being over the limit whilst driving.

Hogan faced his own share of drama.

He found himself caught up in controversy when a sex tape emerged featuring him with the spouse of his mate and radio host Bubba the Love Sponge.

He took gossip website Gawker to court for $100 million and ultimately reached a settlement for $31 million, backed by billionaire supporter Peter Thiel.

Despite everything, Hogan kept up his boisterous public image.

He started a beer company and stayed a passionate backer of Donald Trump, backing him at the 2024 GOP convention and even suggesting himself as a possible vice-presidential candidate before JD Vance got the nod. However, his reputation took a hit following a 2015 scandal where he was recorded using racist language, including repeated uses of the n-word when discussing Brooke's love life.

"I guess we're all a little racist," he said in the recording, which was made public by The National Enquirer.

He was met with boos during a rare WWE appearance in Los Angeles earlier this year, as the backlash continued.

Despite everything, friends say that Hogan remained focused on mending his relationship with Brooke.

"It has been a very trying few months for Terry," a source told the Daily Mail in April, "but he isn't allowing it to get to him, and he is living his life the way he wants to live it. He's heartbroken that he doesn't have a relationship with his daughter and would love someday to rectify that."