80s Pro Wrestling Legend Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea Dies
Chuck Mangione, RIP

Trump tributed him as a "great friend" and "MAGA all the way."

Apparently he died of a heart attack. He was 71.

President Donald Trump has joined the masses mourning the loss of WWE legend Hulk Hogan.

Trump, who had a strong relationship with Hogan for years, which included the wrestling great speaking at the Republican National Convention last year, wrote a tribute on Truth Social for the "Hulkster."

"We lost a great friend today, the "Hulkster." Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way -- Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart," Trump wrote. "He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive.

"To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!"

As many are commenting, a lot of GenX pop culture icons are dying. (As I sadly mentioned, the deaths of 70s pop icons are due to really start ramping up.)

Terry Bollea's greatest victory came not over The Undertaker or the Iron Sheik or even Jake "The Snake" Roberts but over the grotesque Venture Defamation startup Gawker.

Gawker published a revenge-porn sex tape of Bollea's, and the Hulkster -- backed by manager/trainer Peter "The Tech Avenger" Thiel -- pile-drived Gawker into actual bankruptcy.

Bollea's star had diminished considerably by 2012, when blog-era media giant Gawker published a brief clip from a stealthily recorded sex tape of Hogan and Heather Clem, then-wife of Bollea's then-best friend, radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge. The clip was featured in a post by former Gawker editor in chief AJ Daulerio, a meditation on celebrity sex tapes. Just days after the sex tape's publication, Hogan sued for emotional distress and invasion of privacy. For its part, Gawker defended its inclusion of the clip by arguing that the footage was newsworthy, considering Hogan's celebrity status and past comments on his sex life.

In March 2016, a Florida jury found in favor of Hogan, awarding him $115 million in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages. The verdict ultimately bankrupted Gawker, hastening an end to digital media's freewheeling blog era. (The website was revived in 2021 under owner Bryan Goldberg, but shuttered again just two years later.)

Perhaps more shocking than the verdict itself, however, was the revelation of who paid for the lawsuit in the first place: Two months after the smoke cleared, Forbes reported that tech billionaire Peter Thiel had been bankrolling Bollea. The former Paypal Mafia member spent roughly $10 million on the lawsuit, apparently with the aim of destroying Gawker, as revenge for outing him as gay in a 2007 post.

Hulk Hogan was, I have it on good faith, a Real American.

Am I wrong in thinking that's actually a Todd Rundgren song? (NOPE! Close though -- it's Rick Derringer. I mean, the names are close.)

Terry spoke at the RNC in 2024.

I liked this half-ironic, half-serious tribute on Always Sunny:

Late 70s jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist Chuck Mangione has also died at age 84.

"Good innings," as the Brits and Aussies say.

Chuck Mangione, RIP&bodytext=Trump tributed him as a "great friend" and "MAGA all the way." Apparently he died of a heart attack. He was 71. President Donald Trump has joined the masses mourning the loss of WWE legend Hulk Hogan. Trump, who had...&topic=world_news"> posted by Ace at 04:19 PM

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