Hulk Hogan, the larger-than-life WWE legend whose real name was Terry Bollea, tragically passed away on July 24 at the age of 71. Now, days after his sudden death, official documents have revealed the wrestling superstar’s formal cause of death.
According to the newly released cremation report, Hogan died from a cardiac arrest.
The report further confirmed that the entertainer had been battling several significant medical issues, including a history of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common yet potentially dangerous heart condition that causes irregular and often rapid heartbeat, as well as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a slow-progressing form of blood cancer.
CLL affects the bone marrow and leads to the overproduction of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, which then gathers in the blood, bone marrow, and other parts of the body, weakening the immune system over time. It is unclear how long Hogan had been living with the disease.
His backlash sparked controversy after several celebrities paid tribute to the late athlete despite his racist past, including Marlon Wayans, Claressa Shields and Michael Rapaport.
After posting a video defending Hogan, Rapaport backtracked shortly after, denying that he was aware of Hogan’s offensive usage of the n-word.
“I’m not a Hulk Hogan ‘superfan.’ I’m not a wrestling head, I’m not a Hulk Hogan documentarian. I don’t know everything about the life and times of Hulk Hogan. I was not aware at the time, from the bottom of my heart, that he was involved with that racial controversy, the N-word controversy,” Rapaport said in a video posted to Instagram.