Hulk Hogan is said to have lost feeling in the lower half of his body before his death aged 71

It's now been reported he had been using a cane to walk and was recovering from multiple surgeries in the final months of his life.

Hulk had suffered from long-term health issues, including chronic back and neck pain from decades in the ring.

In February 2023, he was seen walking with a cane.

A month earlier, 55-year-old fellow wrestler Kurt Angle said the WWE veteran had lost all feeling in his legs after surgery.

Speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, Kurt said: "He had the nerves cut from his lower body. He can't feel his lower body. So (he) uses his cane to walk around."

He added: "I thought he was using the cane because he had pain in his back. He doesn't have any pain. He has nothing at all. He can't feel anything."

Hulk's representative denied the claim at the time, telling Entertainment Tonight: "Everything is OK with him. Hulk is someone with a lot of humour."

Hulk had been in and out of hospital in the months before his death.

In June, he underwent a four-level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion - a complex neck surgery.

His wife, 45-year-old Sky Daily, told fans on Instagram at the time he was recovering from the "intense surgery with a long and layered healing process".

She said the operation had also affected his vocal cords and required breathing and feeding tubes.

Sky added: "He's healing and we're taking it one day at a time with love, strength, and patience."

Rumours had spread on social media claiming Hogan was in a coma, which Daily denied.

"No, he's definitely not in a coma!" she said, according to PennLive.

She added: "His heart is strong, and there was never any lack of oxygen or brain damage."

Two days before Hulk's death, his longtime manager, 81-year-old Jimmy Hart, wrote on X: "Hulk is doing great, doing phenomenal!"