Jimmy Hart on Hulk Hogan’s Passing: “It Was So Positive the Day Before” – Jimmy Hart has opened up about the unexpected death of his longtime friend Hulk Hogan, revealing that Hogan appeared to be doing well shortly before his sudden passing.
Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, died of cardiac arrest on July 24 at age 71. He had been dealing with complications from recent neck surgery and had been in and out of the hospital in the weeks leading up to his death. Despite widespread rumors about his condition, Hart posted just last Tuesday that Hogan was “phenomenal.”
In a new interview with People, Hart — who served as Hogan’s manager on-screen and close companion in real life — said he was shocked by how quickly things turned.
“I called [Hogan] on Wednesday night, and then Thursday morning is when everything took place,” Hart said. “So just… just overnight it all happened, but it was so positive the day before.”
Hart said he had spoken with members of Hogan’s team the night before the WWE Hall of Famer’s death and was assured that Hogan was doing fine. He even passed along a heartfelt message to be relayed: “Tell him I love him.”
Due to Hogan’s fragile post-surgery state, Hart said they had taken precautions to protect him from infection, which prevented in-person visits in his final days.
“We didn’t go to see him at the house and didn’t go to see him at the hospital, because we wanted to make sure that he didn’t get any infections or anything else, like if anybody had a cold or brought anything in,” Hart explained. “So, that’s what we all did.”
Hart last saw Hogan in person about a month before the surgery. According to People, the two regularly watched wrestling together on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, and often did karaoke with Hogan’s son Nick on Monday nights at Hogan’s Hangout in Clearwater, Florida.
WWE honored Hogan on last Friday’s SmackDown, with Hart and several other legends in attendance for the tribute. Among them were Ted DiBiase, Sgt. Slaughter, Jim Duggan, Gerald Brisco, and Brian Blair, all paying their respects to one of the most iconic figures in wrestling history.
Jimmy Hart on Hulk Hogan’s Passing: “It Was So Positive the Day Before”
