Hulk Hogan's Former Manager Opens Up About Wrestling Icon's Shock Death

Jimmy Hart’s still in shock at the death of his friend, Hulk Hogan.

The transformative and controversial WWE legend Hogan died Thursday at the age of 71 at his home in Clearwater, Florida.

Hulk Hogan with Jimmy Hart along side address the crowd during RAW at Intuit Dome on January 6, 2025 in Inglewood, California. WWE via Getty Images

Not long before Hogan’s passing, Hart — a longtime manager and close friend — had publicly insisted the WWE Hall of Famer was doing better than had been reported.

“He was great,” The “Mouth of the South” told People on Friday about seeing Hogan for the final time about a month ago. “He had great food to eat that night. He was talking with the fans. He was just phenomenal.”

Hart revealed his shock when he learned of the wrestling icon’s passing.

“I called [Hogan] on Wednesday night, and then Thursday morning is when everything took place,” Hart said Friday. “So just…just overnight it all happened, but it was so positive the day before.”

Hart added that when he called Hogan this week, he didn’t get to speak to him.

Wrestler Hulk Hogan (L) and wrestling manager Jimmy "the Mouth of the South" Hart attend the Licensing Expo 2015 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on June 10, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. — Wrestler Hulk Hogan (L) and wrestling manager Jimmy “the Mouth of the South” Hart attend the Licensing Expo 2015 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on June 10, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images

Instead, he spoke with Hogan’s assistant, who merely sent a message saying that the former six-time WWE Champion was “doing great.”

“Well, tell him I love him,” Hart said he told Hogan’s assistant.

He indicated that he felt encouraged by the response, thinking “this is great” news, People reported.

“It just hits so fast,” Hart said about his reaction upon learning of Hogan’s death. “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 had a decades-long friendship with Hogan, going back to their early Memphis days through WWE and later WCW and TNA.

Hogan, a 12-time world champion — six in the WWE and six in WCE — was a two-time WWE Hall of Famer, being inducted in 2005 as an individual and in 2020 as a member of the New World Order.

Hart was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestling managers of all time.

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