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Clearwater police said Friday they have closed their probe into the July 24, 2025 death of Terry Bollea, the wrestling star known as Hulk Hogan, ruling the case an attended natural death. The move lands just as Hogan's family continues a separate review of his medical care and seeks extra time to decide whether to file a malpractice claim. The Pinellas-Pasco medical examiner had previously listed the cause of death as acute myocardial infarction, with underlying conditions that included chronic leukemia and atrial fibrillation.
In an update, the Clearwater Police Department said investigators interviewed multiple witnesses and reviewed recordings before determining the case was an attended natural death, and that the investigation is now closed, according to FOX 13 News. The department said the official finding tracks with the earlier medical examiner's conclusion and does not allege criminal conduct. Police also thanked the family and their attorney for cooperating with investigators.
The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner had already ruled the death natural and attributed it to an acute myocardial infarction, noting Bollea's history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and atrial fibrillation, per AP News. The examiner's report said first responders were called to Bollea's Clearwater home for a cardiac arrest and that he was pronounced dead after transport to the hospital.
Separately, Hogan's widow and the estate filed a petition last fall asking a Pinellas County court for a 90-day extension of the statute of limitations while they investigate a potential medical-malpractice claim tied to care at local hospitals, including Morton Plant and Tampa General, according to filings reviewed by POST Wrestling. No lawsuit has been filed, and the petition is a procedural step that gives the family extra time to gather records and consult experts.
Clearwater police said certain materials examined during the probe, such as security camera footage and private autopsy results, will remain with the family and are exempt from public release under Florida law, per FOX 13 News. Investigators said they relied largely on family cooperation to obtain medical records that otherwise would have required legal process.
How the 90-day extension works
Under Florida's medical-malpractice statutes, attorneys can petition the clerk for an automatic 90-day extension to investigate potential claims, and a separate presuit notice can toll the limitations period while providers review the case, according to the Florida Legislature statute page for section 766.104 and the Florida Legislature page for section 766.106. That extension preserves the family's time to decide whether to file a lawsuit without immediately triggering formal litigation timelines.
The petition named Morton Plant Hospital and Tampa General Hospital among potential entities the family is reviewing, and hospital spokespeople have not publicly confirmed any wrongdoing, per reporting by POST Wrestling. A police closure of the criminal investigation does not bar the family from pursuing civil remedies, which move on a different legal track and require different standards of proof.
For Clearwater, the case closes a local chapter involving one of the city's most visible residents, but legal questions remain as the family continues what it calls an inquiry into his care. This story will be updated if the Bollea estate files a complaint or if any hospitals respond to the family's petition.
