Hulk Hogan never met his grandchildren before his death

Former NHL player Oleksy told People: "I sent text messages once again to kind of gauge where he was at, but there was no interest."

Oleksy explained how he and Brooke moved from Michigan to Florida to be closer to Hulk - whose real name was Terry Bollea - as he "was getting older" and suffering with his health.

He said: "She was there for every surgery leading up to the last two years. She would fly down on her own dime, take care of her dad, and it just made a lot of sense.

"No one understood his body, procedures, medications and everything else more than my wife."

Oleksy explained that the family will remain in Florida following the WWE icon's passing as the state has grown to feel like "home" for them.

The ex-ice hockey star said: "We've built a beautiful life here together."

Brooke, 37, posted a lengthy tribute to her father on Instagram earlier this week and used her post to "clear a few things up" regarding the pair's estrangement.

The realty star wrote: "It was a series of private phone calls no one will ever hear, know, or understand. My father was confiding in me about issues weighing on his heart, both personal and business. I offered to be a life raft in whatever capacity he needed. I told him he had my support. I begged him to rest, to take care of himself."

Brooke - Hulk's eldest child from his marriage to first wife Linda Hogan - added: "We had been through almost 25 surgeries together, and then all of a sudden he didn't want me at surgeries...everything started getting covered in a thick veil. It was like there was a force field around him that I couldn't get through. (sic)"

She explained how the pair's relationship ultimately collapsed due to a series of "respectful disagreements".

Brooke said: "He was telling me these things, being so vulnerable with me and heard my pleas, then suddenly something shifted, and he made a choice to walk the path that clearly tore at his spirit. I felt a disconnect. What followed were respectful disagreements that took an emotional toll on me."