The fractured relationship between Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke had taken an “emotional toll” on the wrestling icon before his death Thursday morning, and he had heartbreakingly believed that the two would eventually make peace. 

Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died after paramedics were called to his Clearwater, Florida home for a cardiac arrest. 

The 71-year-old had been estranged from his eldest child since he married his third wife, Sky Daily, in September 2023, a wedding in which Brooke did not attend. 

Brooke has never fully detailed what led to the rift between her and her father, but a source told the Daily Mail that the wrestler had been steadfast in the belief that the two would reconcile. 

“There was a little strain with his daughter and their relationship that had taken quite the emotional toll, but he always thought he would eventually be able to rectify that,” the source said.

The two last spoke two weeks before Hogan’s wedding to Daily, and the conversation included Brooke telling Hogan that she loved him, according to TMZ. 

A rep for Brooke told Page Six that Hogan “was very proud of her, she was his little girl.” 

“We still can’t believe he is gone,” the rep said.

Page Six also reported that Brooke had been “grateful” that she was able to tell her dad that she loved him in their final conversation and that Brooke was “at peace” over having tried all that she could have to fix their relationship. 

Brooke’s husband, Steven Oleksy, had attempted to play peacemaker several times, but was never able to mend the relationship before Hogan’s death. 

Hogan was pronounced dead at the hospital less than 90 minutes after paramedics responded to his home and stretchered him into an ambulance. 

Police have said there were “no signs of foul play or suspicious activity.”