Brooke Hogan explains why she didn’t attend Hulk Hogan’s funeral
On the day of Hulk Hogan’s funeral, Brooke Hogan chose to honor her father in a more private way.
Hogan’s funeral took place in his home city of Clearwater, Florida on Tuesday. Vince McMahon, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Stephanie McMahon, Ric Flair, Kid Rock, Hogan’s wife Sky Daily, and his ex-wife Linda Hogan were among the people who were there. Brooke did not attend, instead honoring her father with a visit to the beach.
The beach was a place Hogan loved, and he passed that love of the ocean down to Brooke. She now hopes to pass it down to her own children. Brooke shared photos on Instagram with her husband Steven Oleksy and their twins Molly and Oliver at the beach honoring Hogan.
“My father hated the morbidity of funerals. He didn’t want one,” she wrote. “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.
“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 also did not attend WWE’s televised tributes to Hogan, which Brooke says she was not invited to. She and her father were estranged at the time of his death, but Brooke expressed that she always loved Hogan despite their strained relationship. The last time they spoke was in 2023.
While appearing on the Bubba the Love Sponge Show on Tuesday morning, Brooke discussed her father’s passing and explained why she chose to be removed from his will, citing fear of Hogan’s wife’s connection to Scientology as one of the reasons that she didn’t want to be involved in a fight over his estate.
Hogan died at 71 years old on July 24 with a heart attack being ruled as the official cause of death. He had been experiencing complications from a neck surgery that he underwent in May.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.