Clearwater, Florida, police released a final report June 5 on the investigation into the death of celebrity wrestler Hulk Hogan last year, including an autopsy that found he died of natural causes.
The 71-year-old former World Wresting Entertainment (WWE) superstar—whose legal name was Terry Bollea—died of a cardiac arrest at home on July 24, 2025.
Hogan was taken to the Morton Plant Hospital and was pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m.
A private autopsy performed for the family and completed a month after his death found Hogan died “exclusively from compelling natural disease, with no reasonable traumatic or terminal toxicologic contributions,” according to the report.
“His death was natural at the face,” Dr. Daniel L. Schultz, pathologist, wrote in the autopsy, according to the police report. “Based further on the benefits of a complete autopsy, the natural passing of Mr. Terry Bollea has been validated and suspicions of trauma/terminal toxins have been reasonably excluded.”
The Clearwater Police Department filed multiple documents related to the death investigation, providing details about the day he died.
The former wrestler and one of the most recognizable figures in the sports entertainment industry was watching television in the morning hours as his wife, a caregiver, and a health aide were nearby, according to the reports, which described Hogan as barely able to walk or care for himself on his final day.
Just after 8 a.m., his wife noticed her husband wasn’t breathing and called 911.
Emergency medical personnel and fire department responders arrived about 10 minutes later and were on the second floor of the home in the living room with lying Hogan on the floor between the recliner and the TV when police responded to Hogan’s family home at about 10:21 a.m.
The medical personnel were performing life-saving measures, Clearwater Police Department Officer Jordan Bailey reported.
Hogan was home with his wife, Melanie “Sky” Bollea, home health aide Dana Swinton, and occupational therapist Justin McCamey, according to the report. He told the officer Hogan’s health had been very poor following a spinal surgery for his neck six weeks before the incident.
He also had an operation on his heart about three weeks prior to the event to repair a valve, according to the report.
“We knew this was going to be happening,” McCamey told Bailey during the investigation.
Hogan had 20 to 30 knee, hip, and back surgeries over the years. He also took several medications and was undergoing dialysis treatment for kidney failure, according to McCamey.
Hogan was also recently diagnosed with pneumonia and leukemia, and had started chemotherapy treatment about one week before he died, his wife told police.
Despite his numerous health battles, Hogan was not prescribed excessive opiates, and he was taking fewer of the medications than he was prescribed, investigators found.
The Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office told detectives an autopsy was not planned in Hogan’s case, but the family later paid for their own private examination.
His daughter, Brooke Bollea, contacted the police department in August 2025 concerned that an autopsy was not performed. She was told that medical personnel may have “botched” his recent surgery, according to homicide detective Sgt. Michelle Mahoney.
“I explained that we heard the same unconfirmed allegation, but that we would look into it,” Mahoney said.
A homicide detective followed up by sending a subpoena to Tampa General Hospital requesting all medical records of Hogan’s diagnosis and treatment and related information for all medical care, surgeries, and recovery in 2025, according to the reports.
“Following an exhaustive review of the statements, medical records, surveillance footage from within the residence, and a visual inspection of Mr. Bollea’s body, there has been no evidence to indicate the death of Terry Bollea was anything other than natural,” Detective Daniel Bieber wrote in a final report and declared the case closed.
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