The man who betrayed Hulk Hogan in their sex tape scandal in 2012 claimed the wrestling legend was on his deathbed weeks before he passed away.
WWE icon Hogan died aged 71 on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida.
But radio DJ Bubba the Love Sponge Clem, a former close friend of Hogan who secretly recorded his wife having sex with the star, raised the alarm over him being ‘on his deathbed in a coma’ weeks ago.
He also said just days ago that Hogan ‘can’t speak anymore’.
However, both Hogan’s wife and news outlet TMZ shot down any claims that ‘Hollywood’ was on his last legs.
TMZ reported on June 18 that Hogan was hospitalised to address long-term neck and back issues – not because he was about to die.
The man who betrayed Hulk Hogan back in 2012 claimed he was on his deathbed weeks ago
Wrestling legend Hogan passed away aged 71 on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest
Bubba the Love Sponge Clem said that Hogan was in a coma, but TMZ and his wife denied this
Asked if he was in a coma, his wife Sky Daily said on July 12: ‘No, he’s definitely not in a coma!
‘His heart is strong, and there was never any lack of oxygen or brain damage. None of those rumours are true.’
She explained that he was recovering from an ‘intense surgery with a long and layered healing process,’ which led to him being ‘in and out of hospital’.
But Bubba had said live on air that a ‘pretty damn reliable’ source had told him the 71-year-old was in such bad health that he ‘might not make it’.
Hogan – whose real name is Terry Bollea – underwent neck surgery in May after having a ‘little fusion procedure’ to make him ‘feel a little better.’
He was back to work just 24 hours after going under the knife while preparing for the launch of his new wrestling league, Real American Freestyle, this summer.
The all-time wrestling great is no stranger to surgery after recently telling WWE superstar Logan Paul that he had at least 25 from 2014 to 2024 alone.
As one might expect, Hogan and Bubba were not on the best of terms after they were embroiled in a sex tape scandal.
Bubba filmed Hogan having sex with his own wife, Heather Clem, and Gawker published it
Hogan pictured alongside Donald Trump in Atlantic City in 1987. Hogan would become one of Trump’s biggest supporters throughout his three runs for President of the United States.
Donald Trump Jr. posted this image of Hogan in tribute to the late wrestler
In 2016, Hogan was awarded £79million after gossip news website Gawker leaked an x-rated video involving him and Bubba’s wife – recorded by the DJ himself.
The video, which was published in 2012, depicted Hogan having sex with Heather Clem, then the wife of radio shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge Clem.
In fact, Hogan was best man at the couple’s 2007 wedding.
The couple have since divorced, while the sex tape predates Hogan’s own divorce in 2009 from his then-wife Linda.
Gawker, which claims it got a copy of the sex video from an anonymous source, has long asserted that Hogan was aware that the recording was being made.
According to Gawker, Bubba Clem can be heard at the beginning of it egging on the two, telling them to ‘do (their) thing.’
In October 2012 former pro-wrestler Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, brought lawsuits against the disc jockey, his ex-wife and Gawker.
Hogan admitted that he had consensual sex with Heather Clem, in the couple’s home, but he claimed that didn’t know he was being secretly recorded by a security camera.
The star is pictured with daughter Brooke, second ex wife Linda and son Nick in 2005
He looked happy and healthy as he posed up with Governor Ron Desantis in May 2025
Hogan kickstarted ‘Hulkamania’ after defeating the Iron Sheik for the World Heavyweight Championship in 1984
His public persona transcended the ring, making him a household name. He appeared in numerous movies, including the third Rocky film in 1982
‘Mr Hogan had a reasonable expectation of his privacy, just as all Americans have a reasonable expectation of their privacy in their bedrooms,’ his attorney, Charles Harder, said at the time.
In his lawsuit against the Clems, Hogan claimed the video caused ‘severe and irreparable injury which cannot be adequately compensated by monetary damages’.
In the days of the video was published by Gawker, Bubba accused Hulk of possibly leaking the tape himself. He also made it clear that he and Hogan were no longer friends.
Bubba later retracted his comments following Hogan’s lawsuit.
‘It is my belief that Hulk is not involved, and has not ever been involved, in trying to release the video, or exploit it, or otherwise gain from the video’s release in any way,’ he said in a statement.
After news of Hogan’s death broke, Bubba told TMZ: ‘I’m heartbroken to hear of Terry’s passing. As everyone knows we had our issues and those issues were mostly my fault. I loved him as a friend while he was with us, and will continue to love his memory as a friend going forward.’
