Hulk Hogan’s Daughter Brooke Breaks Silence with Emotional Tribute Following His Death

Brooke Hogan is speaking out for the first time following the death of her father, wrestling legend Hulk Hogan.

In an emotional Instagram post shared Tuesday, July 29, the 37-year-old former reality star reflected on her father’s passing and opened up about their complicated relationship. Hulk Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died unexpectedly on July 24 at his home in Clearwater, Florida.

“When he left this earth, it felt like part of my spirit left with him,” Brooke wrote. “I felt it before the news even reached us. I know he’s at peace now, out of pain, and in a place as beautiful as he imagined. He used to talk about meeting God like it was the biggest championship of his life.”

Brooke went on to clarify the reasons behind their estrangement, explaining it wasn’t a result of one incident but rather a series of deeply personal conversations and emotional moments that unfolded privately.

“There wasn’t a single argument or dramatic event,” she said. “It was a series of quiet, vulnerable phone calls. He shared things weighing heavily on him—personal, professional—and I offered all the support I could. I begged him to rest, to take care of himself. I tried to be his life raft.”

Brooke and her husband, former NHL player Steven Oleksy, had even moved to Florida to be closer to Hogan during his declining health. But as time went on, she says, things changed.

“We’d been through almost 25 surgeries together, and then suddenly, he didn’t want me there anymore. There was this veil I couldn’t get through,” she wrote. “He was open with me, vulnerable… and then something shifted. He chose a path that I believe hurt him deeply. I felt the disconnect.”

The emotional toll led Brooke to step back. “Over the past two years, I had to protect my heart,” she wrote. “But Steven stayed in touch with him the whole time—trying to help us find a way back to each other.”

After her father’s death, Brooke discovered old messages between him and Steven—some answered, some not. “They broke my heart,” she said.

“I know in my heart I did everything I could,” Brooke added. “He knew I would run through fire for him. And in many ways, I did. He knew how deeply, how fiercely, and how purely I loved him. I’m at peace knowing that.”

Brooke and Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) were once close, having starred together in the hit VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best from 2005 to 2007. However, their relationship became strained in later years. Brooke did not attend her father’s wedding to his third wife, Sky Daily, in September 2023.

In March 2025, her mother, Linda Hogan, addressed the family rift in an Instagram Story, revealing that Brooke had kept her marriage and the birth of her twins—Oliver Andrew and Molly Gene—in January 2025 private from the family.

Since stepping out of the public eye, Brooke has focused on her career in interior design with her brand BB Designs by Brooke, launched in 2018.

Her tribute follows an outpouring of condolences and tributes from fellow wrestling and entertainment figures, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Sylvester Stallone, and John Cena.

Hulk Hogan, a two-time WWE Hall of Famer and one of professional wrestling’s most iconic figures, was 71.