The passing of Hulk Hogan, a figure larger than life, at 71, comes as a profound shock. Though Terry Bollea, the man behind the Hulkster, is gone, "Hulkamania" will forever endure.

For those who experienced the 1980s, professional wrestling’s leap from the ring into mainstream pop culture was extraordinary. This transformation was spearheaded by promoter Vince McMahon, with Hulk Hogan becoming the iconic face of this evolution, recognized globally. 

Much will be said and written about Hogan, a real-life cartoon character known for tearing tank tops and ending sentences with "Brother!"

Like all remarkable individuals, Bollea was flawed, facing scandals later in his career, after the peak of "Hulkamania." In a time when second chances were once common, our current "cancel culture" often tears down figures who have fallen from grace. 

Hogan was removed from the WWE Hall of Fame following the emergence of a tape containing racial slurs. This controversial decision seemed particularly egregious given that a WWE, as we know it today, would scarcely exist without him.

Hogan rarely delved into politics, but that changed last July when he appeared at the Republican National Convention to endorse Donald Trump, an endorsement both sincere and wildly theatrical. As Macho Man Randy Savage, another wrestling legend lost too soon, might have said, "Oh yeah, dig it."

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I hold many memories of Hogan, from watching him on TV to seeing him live at venues like Maple Leaf Gardens and the SkyDome in Toronto. Yet, my most vivid memory dates back to Sunday, March 29, 1987, at WrestleMania III in the Pontiac Silverdome, where Hogan faced Andre the Giant. The match was hyped as "the unstoppable force versus the immovable object."

Despite Hogan's size, Andre was even more colossal. Yet, in an unprecedented moment, Hogan body-slammed Andre. The video clip of this feat doesn't capture the true essence of that three-second event. You had to be there among the more than 90,000 attendees to truly experience it.

With most fans equipped with flash cameras, tens of thousands of flashes erupted simultaneously as they anticipated the impossible – Hogan body-slamming Andre. As I marveled at the action in the ring, I was suddenly immersed in an unreal, otherworldly illumination. The entire Silverdome, and everyone within it, was bathed in a searing white light—a sight I've never seen before or since. I was utterly mesmerized. This spectacle is unlikely to be repeated now that smartphones have replaced flash-equipped cameras.

Even so, that brief, powerful image of "Hulkamania running wild" remains etched in my mind, unforgettable.

The news of Hulk Hogan’s passing on Thursday leaves me pondering, as I always have, the existence of heaven. And if such a place exists, is Terry Bollea, a.k.a. Hulk Hogan, there now? And if so, is he once again enveloped in that surreal, indescribable white light, just as he was on March 29, 1987, during perhaps his greatest achievement in the squared circle? I imagine I will wonder about this until my own time comes.

In the meantime, rest in peace, Brother.