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Sky Daily, the widow of Hulk Hogan, denied 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair's claim that her husband died after taking "street drugs."
"That didn't happen at all," Daily told TMZ Sports on Monday (December 1).
Flair, who, like Hogan, is a two-time WWE Hall of Famer, made the claim during an appearance on the Doubl3 Coverage podcast.
"I talked to him the day before he died," Flair said of Hogan. "I shouldn't say this, but what killed him was street drugs. When the doctor wouldn't prescribe anymore. He was in so much pain. Then he had a neck surgery and got infected. So back in the hospital, imagine 10 back surgeries, two knees, two hips, all this, and then when the doctor would not prescribe any more pain medicine, they just couldn't do it, in all due conscience. So they went and got the drugs off the street. His body just said, 'You know what? Bingo. I can't do it anymore.' Sad."
Flair later attempted to clarify his comments in a post shared on his X account.
"There Seems To Be Some Controversy Over My Remarks That Street Drugs Killed Hulk Hogan. I Only Was Repeating What I Know To Be A Fact Through Family Members. After 11 Back Surgeries, Hip Replacements, Knee Replacements, Shoulder Replacement, And Two Neck Surgeries, I Am Sure The Pain Was Unbearable," Flair wrote. "A Doctor As I Know Can Only Prescribe So Much Pain Medication Under Medical Guidelines. I’ve Been Told That All They Did Was To Help Him Not To Hurt Him. To Help Him Get Through The Night And The Pain. Eventually That Catches Up With You As We Know With Everybody. He Was My Friend, A Man I Respected, And I’m Only Reporting What I’ve Been Told. Nothing More, Nothing Less. This Was Not An Attempt To Demean Hulk Hogan Or His Legacy. I Have Always Referred To Him As Being One Of The Two Biggest Stars In The Industry, Himself And ['Stone Cold'] Steve Austin. I Apologize If People Misunderstood My Statement. Hulkamania Forever!"
In October, Hogan's wife and his son, Nick, filed a petition in Pinellas County, Florida, to extend the statue of limitations to an additional 90 days for an investigation of possible medical malpractice related to his death. The probe includes doctors and health care providers at Morton Plant Hospital, where Hogan died at the age of 71 on July 24, as well as Tampa General Hospital, where he also received treatment.
In August, Daily told TMZ Sports that her late husband's phrenic nerve was "compromised" during a recent procedure and a completed autopsy didn't disclose those results. An occupational therapist who was present at Hogan's Florida home said he stopped breathing when first responders arrived at the scene and a surgeon "severed" his phrenic nerve during surgery, according to a police report described by TMZ Sports as being on "lockdown."
Police who were present at the home they discussed this information with the therapist, with the discussions caught on bodycam footage. The Cleveland Clinic states that the phrenic nerve “controls your diaphragm and is essential to your ability to breathe.”
Hogan's cause of death was officially ruled to be a heart attack, according to Pinellas County Forensic Science Center documents obtained by Page Six on July 31. The legendary wrestler reportedly died from acute myocardial infarction, which occurs when blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked, resulting in tissue damage, the documents confirmed.
Hogan reportedly had a history of atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is categorized in patients with an irregular and often rapid heart rate, as well as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a cancer that affects white blood cells, though the diagnosis that wasn't previously revealed to the public.
Hogan is one of the most well-known figures in the history of professional wrestling, leading WWE to become a global enterprise in the 1980s as the face of the company during its popularity boom. The late wrestler was a five-time WWE (then-WWF) Champion, which included a 1,474-day reign as the longest of the WrestleMania era and a six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, where he was the leader of the New World Order as 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan during his tenure with the now-defunct promotion.
Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice as both an individual wrestler and as a member of the nWo faction.