One of Hulk Hogan’s closest friends, Jimmy Hart, has shed new light on why some of the WWE legend’s friends downplayed his health decline before his death.
In June, long-time radio host and former friend turned enemy, Bubba the Love Sponge, claimed the WWE Hall of Famer was near death at a Florida hospital following recent surgery on his spine. And that friends and family were being called to the facility to say their goodbyes.
Related: Remembering Hulk Hogan’s 10 Greatest Moments Following His Passing at 71
However, that rumor was debunked by multiple sources close to the “Hulkster.” Including close friend and fellow Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff, who claimed he just had complications from anesthesia. And his wife, Sky, also tried to quiet the speculation in a recent post on social media.
Yet, those rebukes seemed to be false, and Hogan passed last week after suffering cardiac arrest. But it seems those counterclaims came from a real belief that the six-time WWE champ was actually on a positive road to recovery, according to WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart.
“I called him on Wednesday night, and then Thursday morning was when everything took place. So just overnight it all happened, but it was so positive the day before,” Hart told People. “It just hits so fast. It was like, ‘Oh my God.’ We thought he was doing so well, you know?
“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. So, that’s what we all did.”
Hart was one of the Hulk Hogan pals who tried to quite the rumors about his declining health when he posted a since-deleted message on X about his improving health last week. “Hulk is going great, doing phenomenal!” he wrote. “Last night at karaoke with Nick was absolutely fantastic, baby!!!”
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