Brooke Hogan did not attend her father Hulk Hogan’s funeral after years of estrangement, claiming the wrestling legend “didn’t want” an official memorial service.
“My father hated the morbidity of funerals. He didn’t want one,” Brooke, 37, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, August 5. “And although I know people grieve in many ways – and I’m so grateful for all celebrations and events organized to honor him, as his daughter, I had to make my own decision to honor him the best and most genuine way I knew how…privately…the way that made me feel the closest to him. The only thing missing today was him in is pop up lawn chair watching the waves… and the sunset 💔.”
Alongside a series of photos of husband Steven Oleksy and 7-month-old twins Oliver Andrew and Molly Geene, Brooke added, “Daddy, we honored you in the simplest way that agreed with my soul. We took our babies to the beach, and put them in the same salty waters you loved. Molly loved the water. I think she’ll be a “little fish” as you called me. We love you and honor the things that made you so special. Every grain of sand and every wave reminded me of being your beach baby, and brought us closer to you. I pray you are at peace and know how dearly I love you. Rest in heaven, Daddy❤️.”
Brooke is the daughter of the late Hulk (real name Terry Bollea) and his ex-wife Linda Hogan, who were married from 1983 to 2009. Her tribute to her father came just hours after Linda, 65, along with Hogan’s third wife, Sky Daily, Kid Rock, Vince McMahon and more attended a service for the late athlete just miles from his home in Largo, Florida on Tuesday. (Hulk and Linda also share son Nick, 35.)
Fans fell in love with Hulk Hogan’s protective dad side when he and Brooke Hogan costarred on Hogan Knows Best. However, their relationship wasn’t always solid. The father-daughter duo had a playful and, at times, stressful relationship during the VH1 reality show’s four-season run from 2005 to 2007. While the show also starred Hulk’s then-wife […]
Brooke and Hulk were close over the years up until she skipped her dad’s wedding to Daily in September 2023. (Hulk was previously married to Jennifer McDaniel from 2010 to 2021.)
“For my own journey to healing and happiness, I have chosen to create some distance between myself and my family,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “And am focusing on people and things that heal my heart and align with my own personal beliefs, goals, and values. I wish him well. ❤️.”
Nearly two years later, Linda alleged that Brooke wasn’t talking to either her or Hulk — and wasn’t aware that Brooke got married to Oleksy in June 2022 and had twins Oliver and Molly in January.
Brooke Hogan, Linda Hogan and Hulk Hogan Carvalho/FilmMagic
“She had a huge fight with Terry,” Linda said in a since-expired Instagram Story video. “I don’t know how that reflected onto me, but she cut me out too.”
Shortly after Linda’s claims, Brooke took to her own Instagram account to clear the air on what was going on, noting that she has “completely separate reasons for going no contact” with her mom and dad.
“No contact with my mom has nothing to do with my dad, and no contact with my father has nothing to do with my mother. This decision was based purely on how they have each dealt with me my entire life,” she wrote in March via Instagram, alleging that she was “extremely verbally and mentally abused” throughout her childhood without identifying her abuser.
Hulk Hogan claims he is in the dark as to why daughter Brooke Hogan has distanced herself from him following her estrangement from her mother and his ex-wife, Linda Hogan. “Terry not speaking to Brooke is [a] much more recent thing,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly, referring to Hulk, whose real name is Terry […]
Brooke went on to say she loves both of her parents but noted she had to cut off communication with them for her own peace.
Although tensions remained strained, Brooke responded in a social media tribute following Hulk’s death in July at age 71 due to cardiac arrest.
“My dad’s blood runs through my veins,” she wrote via Instagram on July 29. “His eyes shine through my children. And our bond has never broken, not even in his final moments. We had a connection deeper than words, one that spanned lifetimes. I am so grateful that I knew the real version of him. Not just the one the world viewed through a carefully curated lens. We shared a quiet, sacred bond, one that could be seen and felt by anyone who witnessed us together.”
Brooke added that the “narrative” surrounding the relationship with her father had been confused and said she wanted to “clear a few things up.” The actress claimed that after she and her husband moved to Florida to be closer to him, “all of a sudden he didn’t want [her] at surgeries.”
“Everything started getting covered in a thick veil. It was like there was a force field around him that I couldn’t get through,” she explained, adding that she had to “step away to protect [her] heart” from him. “All I ever wanted from my father was love, honesty and a deep connection. And for a few special years, I had that — with memories that will last a lifetime. My world is forever changed. But I’m deeply blessed with a loving husband and two beautiful children who remind me every day of life’s greatest gifts.”
