As the wrestling world mourns the death of Hulk Hogan at 71, new details reveal that his final conversation with estranged daughter Brooke Hogan ended with an emotional moment. Despite years of estrangement, the pair had a brief exchange, marking the final chapter in a deeply fractured family story.
Hogan died of cardiac arrest on Thursday morning at his Clearwater, Florida, home. According to police chief Nate Burnside, emergency medical personnel responded to a serious medical event and transported the wrestling legend to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m.
In his final months, Hogan recognized that his health was deteriorating. A source told Daily Mail he was “struggling to breathe, constantly exhausted, had lost weight, and was on oxygen.” Yet, he kept pushing through his health issues, something Brooke had reportedly warned him about during their last phone call in September 2023.
“She told him he shouldn’t be working so hard because of his health,” TMZ reported, but her pleas “fell on deaf ears.” It was during that same call, two weeks before Hogan married his third wife, Sky Daily, that he apologized to Brooke and they ended the exchange with, "I love you."
What the apology was for remains unclear. What is clear is that the conversation did not mend the divided relationship between them.
Hogan and Brooke had not been on speaking terms since that phone call, and she reportedly first learned of his passing when her husband, NHL player Steven Oleksy, received a text from Brooke’s brother, Nick Hogan.
Oleksy, who married Brooke in 2022, broke his silence on Instagram Thursday night, posting: “Thank you for the love and support for my beautiful wife.” Despite their fractured bond, Brooke remained concerned about her father.
TMZ reported that she had been protective of him and made several attempts through Oleksy to bridge the distance. The outlet reported he showed no interest in meeting his grandchildren and only wanted a relationship “on his terms.”
“He’s heartbroken that he doesn’t have a relationship with his daughter and would love someday to rectify that,” a source told Daily Mail in April.
Yet no reconciliation came. Hogan was said to be reflecting on his past mistakes. “He is finally hearing and listening… he’s looking to make up for past bad decisions,” the source added.
“Nothing will be overnight… but hopefully it will lead to a change for the better.” Sadly, it was too late. Hogan’s ex-wife, Linda Hogan, Brooke and Nick’s mother, also went public about the ongoing family fallout. In March, she posted an emotional video on social media, admitting she had also been cut off by Brooke.
“She had twins. She got married. She didn’t tell us... She had a huge fight with Terry. I don’t know how that reflected onto me, but she cut me out too,” Linda said. She also blamed Hogan for the collapse of their family. In the same video, she described their 26-year marriage, ending in 2009, as deeply damaging.