Hulk Hogan, whose flamboyance and star power helped transform professional wrestling from a low-budget regional attraction into a multibillion dollar industry, has died at 71.

World Wrestling Entertainment confirmed his death in an email on Thursday but did not provide other details.

Even after his wrestling days were over, Hogan remained in the spotlight, most visibly in 2024, when he spoke at the Republican National Convention, tearing off his shirt to reveal a Trump/Vance shirt underneath.

Hogan was the face of pro wrestling for decades, with his blond hair and horseshoe mustache, colorful bandannas and massive biceps, which he referred to as “24-inch pythons.”

His routine before a match was guaranteed to send fans into a frenzy. He would cup his hand to his ear to encourage the roaring crowd and tear off his shirt, which was pre-ripped to ease the process. Fans loved him for his charm and physique as much as for his old-fashioned grappling ability.

Hogan was born Terry Gene Bollea, on Aug. 11, 1953, in Augusta, Ga. His father, Peter, was a construction foreman; his mother, Ruth (Moody) Bollea, was a dance teacher. He attended the University of South Florida but dropped out, choosing the wrestling mat over the classroom.

He started wrestling in 1977. Like many in the sport, he was a big man, weighing 300 pounds in his prime. He was also exceptionally tall, 6-foot-8, helping to further a trend toward very big men in wrestling.

He adopted the name “Hulk” because of comparisons to the muscular comic book character on the CBS television program “The Incredible Hulk.” In 1979, he made it to the World Wrestling Federation (now the W.W.E.) and took on the alliterative last name Hogan.

A full obituary will appear soon.