A FAREWELL BEYOND WORDS: Hulk Hogan Dies at 71 — Yet It’s His Devoted Dog’s Final Goodbye That Breaks Hearts Everywhere
Long before the red and yellow bandanas, the “Hulkamania” chants, and the unforgettable body slams that defined a generation of wrestling, Terry Bollea—better known as Hulk Hogan—was just a kid from Tampa with a dream and a heart bigger than his biceps. He rose to become a global icon, a symbol of strength, charisma, and resilience. But in the end, it wasn’t a roar of the crowd that marked his farewell. It was the quiet, faithful presence of his dog that spoke volumes.
Hogan passed away peacefully at the age of 71, surrounded by close family at his Clearwater home. The cause, complications related to recent cardiac issues, had quietly worsened over the past few months. While he’d kept much of his health journey private, those closest to him say he faced it all with grit, prayer, and gratitude for the life he lived.
But what truly stunned mourners was what happened after the man they knew as “the Immortal One” took his final breath.
Bentley, Hogan’s loyal Labrador retriever of nearly 13 years, had rarely left his side during his final weeks. Nurses and family noted how the dog would curl beside Hogan’s feet, especially when pain flared. “It was like he knew,” said one hospice aide. “That dog never once barked or moved when Hulk was asleep. He was just… there. Guarding him.”
The night Hogan died, Bentley reportedly walked to the foot of the bed, laid his head on his master’s chest one last time, and refused to move for hours. When funeral staff arrived the next morning, the dog had to be gently carried away—his tail still and his eyes wide with a silent understanding.
“It broke us,” said Brooke Hogan, his daughter. “Dad always called Bentley his shadow. And in the end, that shadow stayed with him longer than any spotlight ever did.”
The funeral was private, attended by longtime friends, family, and a few fellow wrestlers who had shared both rings and road trips with Hogan. In the front pew, alongside the Hogan family, Bentley sat quietly—head bowed, as if sensing the weight of the moment.
A single white rose was placed on the casket, along with one of Hogan’s trademark bandanas. As the service ended, someone gently tied that bandana around Bentley’s neck. The dog didn’t flinch. He simply walked out, stopping once to look back—just for a moment—before following the family out of the chapel.
For all the fanfare that marked Hogan’s life, his farewell was stripped of spectacle. No cameras. No pyro. Just love, loyalty, and a silence more powerful than any wrestling promo.
Yes, Hulk Hogan was a showman. A warrior. A cultural phenomenon. But in his final hours, and in the tearful goodbye of a faithful dog, the world was reminded of something even deeper: that strength isn’t just in muscle. It’s in gentleness. It’s in companionship. It’s in the unspoken love that doesn’t need a spotlight to shine.
And for those who saw Bentley’s goodbye, it was the truest kind of heartbreak—the kind that doesn’t cry out but lingers quietly in the soul.
In the end, the Immortal One was never truly alone.
He had a friend. A shadow. And a farewell that words could never quite capture.