WWE icon Hulk Hogan dies of cardiac arrest at 71

In Florida's Clearwater,  authorities responded to a call on Thursday morning about a cardiac arrest.

Hogan was pronounced dead after they took him to a hospital, police said in a statement on Facebook.

US President Donald Trump has mourned his death and said he lost a 'great friend today'.

"We lost a great friend today, the 'Hulkster.' Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart. He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive," Trump posted on TruthSocial.

Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was perhaps the biggest star in WWE's long history.

Known for his flamboyance and massive physique, and his trademark blond horseshoe moustache and bandanas, Hogan was widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide, the most popular wrestler of the 1980s, and one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.

Hogan began his professional wrestling career in 1977, but gained worldwide recognition after signing with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in December 1983.

There, his persona as a heroic all-American helped usher in the 1980s professional wrestling boom, where he headlined eight of the first nine editions of the WWF's flagship annual event, WrestleMania.

Hogan was also a regular headliner of Saturday Night's Main Event and its spin-off The Main Event.

His match with André the Giant on WWF The Main Event on February 5, 1988, still holds American television viewership records for wrestling with a 15.2 Nielsen rating and 33 million viewers.