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LARGO, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Dozens of people gathered Tuesday evening at a funeral service for famed wrestler Hulk Hogan, who died last month<\/a> at 71.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The private service was held at the same church where Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was baptized in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hogan previously had leukemia and atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, the examiner\u2019s report said. His death was declared to be natural.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The service was heavily patrolled by church security and Largo police officers, including K-9 dogs. Anyone not on the guest list was turned away near signs that read, \u201cPrivate Event.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> posted a photo on his Truth Social<\/a> platform showing him arm wrestling Hogan, saying, \u201cThey are having the \u2018Hulkster\u2019s\u2019 funeral today, and I thought everybody would enjoy seeing this picture.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags flown at half-staff at all official buildings last Friday, which he declared \u201cHulk Hogan Day in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hogan was perhaps the biggest star in WWE\u2019s long history<\/a>, known for both his larger-than-life personality and his in-ring exploits. He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even WWE co-founder Vince McMahon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hogan was also a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including \u201cHogan Knows Best,\u201d a reality show about his life on VH1.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hogan\u2019s body will be cremated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n His daughter Brooke Bollea Oleksy, better known by her stage name Brooke Hogan, memorialized her father in a recent social media post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI am so grateful I knew the real version of him. Not just the one the world viewed through a carefully curated lens,\u201d she wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n While beloved by legions, the entertainer was also the subject of several controversies<\/a> over the years. He was recorded using racial slurs and candidly calling himself \u201cracist, to a point\u201d in a 2012 sex tape scandal. A subsequent lawsuit over the leaked tape ultimately led to the demise of pioneering online media outlet Gawker.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 20 Years Of<\/span>Free<\/span>Journalism<\/span><\/p>\n Your Support Fuels Our Mission<\/p>\n Your Support Fuels Our Mission<\/p>\n