Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan died on Thursday at the age of 71. Perhaps the most well-known and recognizable wrestler in the history of the industry, he was a major catalyst in the growth of the World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1980s.

Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my friend and wrestling legend, Hulk Hogan. Terry Gene Bollea — known to millions as Hulk Hogan — was more than an icon in the ring. He was a man with a big heart and a genuine desire to help others. He was a proud supporter of my school… pic.twitter.com/DnohYBtpmD

Before The Rock morphed into movie star Dwayne Johnson, and well-before John Cena traded his jorts for a Peacemaker helmet, Terry “ Hulk Hogan ” Bollea made the leap from a professional-wrestling ring to Hollywood.

Hulk Hogan died Thursday at the age of 71. Here are the famed wrestler's biggest controversies during his story career.

Hulk Hogan, who has died of an apparent heart attack aged 71, was a wrestler widely acknowledged as one of the greatest – and certainly one of the most recognisable – in the history of his sport; standing at 6ft 7in and weighing 21 stone,

When Hogan burst onto the wrestling scene, it was a collection of fly-by-night regional promotions. By the time he was done, it had become a multibillion-dollar global business.

A dispatch call obtained by PEOPLE revealed that police were called to Hulk Hogan's house for a cardiac arrest when they went to his home on Thursday, July 24. The wrestler is dead at age 71.

The wrestling world lost a titan Thursday when Hulk Hogan died at age 71. A 12-time world champion across WWE and WCW, a two-time WWE Hall of Fame inductee and one of the most recognizable stars the industry ever produced,