Hulk Hogan Dies on His Deathbed as Man Who Secretly Filmed S-x Tape of Him With His Own Wife Says: "It Was My Fault"

The world of professional wrestling has lost one of its most iconic, controversial, and larger-than-life figures. Hulk Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, died Thursday morning at the age of 71, marking the end of an era that not only defined a sport but also reshaped American pop culture. According to police in Clearwater, Florida, authorities responded to an emergency call concerning a cardiac arrest.

Hogan was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officials confirmed there was no sign of foul play or suspicious activity, closing the curtain on the final moments of the man known for tearing shirts, flexing muscles, and bellowing “Whatcha gonna do, brother?”

WWE quickly issued a statement expressing their sorrow at the passing of one of their most influential legends. “One of pop culture's most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s,” the organization wrote in a post on X.

The company also extended condolences to Hogan's family, fans, and friends, many of whom watched the Hulkster transform from wrestling's muscle-bound hero into a global celebrity who was as familiar in living rooms as any Hollywood icon.

But as tributes poured in, one voice stood out for its strange mix of regret, nostalgia, and scandal. Bubba the Love Sponge, real name Todd Clem, once considered Hogan’s best friend, broke his silence after years of estrangement. “I’m heartbroken to hear of Terry’s passing,” Bubba said in a statement to TMZ. “As everyone knows, we had our issues and those issues were mostly my fault. I loved him as a friend while he was with us, and will continue to love his memory as a friend going forward.”

For those unfamiliar with the sordid saga that followed both men like a dark cloud, this was no ordinary falling out. Over a decade ago, the friendship between Hogan and Bubba imploded in one of the most infamous celebrity sex scandals in modern history. In 2012, a secretly recorded sex tape surfaced, showing Hulk Hogan in bed with Bubba’s then-wife, Heather Clem.

The kicker? The tape was reportedly filmed by Bubba himself — without Hogan’s consent. It was a betrayal layered in deceit, voyeurism, and twisted justifications.

Hogan would later claim, in an interview with radio legend Howard Stern, that he had slept with Heather with Bubba’s full encouragement and blessing. Yet it was the filming and leaking of the video that would spark a chain reaction unlike any other in media history.

Gawker, the notorious online gossip site, published a clip from the sex tape. What followed was a courtroom battle of seismic proportions: Hogan sued the outlet for invasion of privacy, a case bankrolled by billionaire tech mogul Peter Thiel, who had his own vendetta against Gawker. The result was staggering — a Florida jury awarded Hogan $140 million in damages, a decision that bankrupted Gawker and eventually led to its shutdown.

As if the story needed any more drama, just days before Hogan’s death, Bubba the Love Sponge went on air and hinted that his former friend was on the brink of death. “If you did some sniffing around, you might find him in a hospital near you and it’s not good,” Bubba said on his Florida-based radio show. He even claimed that Hogan’s family had begun making travel arrangements to say their final goodbyes. It was a haunting prelude that sounded more like a farewell tour than speculation.

However, those claims were quickly denied by Hogan’s longtime manager and friend Jimmy Hart, who posted on X that the wrestling icon was “doing great, doing phenomenal!” The denial, while optimistic, was soon rendered irrelevant when Hogan’s death was officially confirmed.

For many fans, Hulk Hogan represented strength, charisma, and the golden age of wrestling — but off the ring, his life was a Greek tragedy of betrayal, lawsuits, and broken friendships. His fall from grace was as loud as his rise to stardom. The image of the muscle-bound hero was forever tarnished when details of the sex tape scandal emerged.

From privacy invasion to racial slurs that surfaced in private conversations, the man behind the mustache was no longer immune to public scrutiny.

And yet, in the final hours, what remains is a strange sense of unfinished business. Bubba’s public statement, laced with guilt and remorse, reads less like a eulogy and more like a final attempt at redemption. "I loved him as a friend while he was with us, and will continue to love his memory as a friend going forward,” he said — but for many, those words come far too late.

The man he wronged is no longer here to hear them. The chance to mend what was broken evaporated along with Hogan’s final breath.

Their story is a cautionary tale about fame, boundaries, and betrayal. It’s about how trust can be shattered in seconds and how actions can ripple for decades. Hogan’s death now leaves behind a legacy that will forever be intertwined with spectacle and scandal.

He was a champion in the ring, yes, but outside of it, he was human — deeply flawed, endlessly dramatic, and now, gone.

For WWE fans, the mourning is real. The voice that once screamed into arenas is now silenced. The man who inspired countless “Hulkamaniacs” to eat their vitamins and say their prayers has taken his last walk to the ring — this time, without a comeback.

But perhaps the most surreal part of this tragic ending is how it brings back full circle a moment that once destroyed lives and reputations. The man who filmed Hogan at his most intimate, the same man who contributed to the lawsuit that destroyed a media empire, now says the guilt is his. That kind of poetic closure, however messy, is rare.

As the tributes continue to roll in, one can only wonder what Hulk Hogan would have said in response to Bubba’s apology. But now, the only thing left is silence — and a history that will forever be more complex than any scripted match.

The wrestling ring has lost one of its giants. But beyond the bright lights and championship belts lies a story of human error, of public failure, and of too-late apologies. Hulk Hogan may be gone, but the echoes of his life — both triumphant and tragic — will continue to resonate.