It’s been nearly one week since Hulk Hogan passed away at the age of 71.
Understandably, several members of his family needed time to process their grief before they felt comfortable speaking publicly.
On Monday, Nick Hogan broke his silence with a loving tribute to his late father.
Earlier today, Brooke Hogan issued her own statement, and as expected, her feelings toward her late father are a bit more complex.
Brooke Hogan opens up about estrangement from father
Brooke was estranged from her father at the time of his passing, a fact that she acknowledged in her first public remarks since his death.
“When he left this earth, it felt like part of my spirit left with him. I felt it before the news even reached us,” Brooke wrote on Instagram.
“I know he’s at peace now, out of pain, and in a place as beautiful as he imagined. He used to speak about this moment with such wonder and hope. Like meeting God was the greatest championship he’d ever have.”
She went on to state that it was “necessary to clear a few things up,” explaining that it was not a single “fight” that caused their estrangement.
“It was a series of private phone calls no one will ever hear, know, or understand,” Brooke wrote.
“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 Hogan recalls battle over Hulk’s health
Brooke went on to reveal that she and her father disagreed on matters relating to his health and well-being.
She says that she and her husband moved to Florida in order to be closer to Hulk, but in the end, he wound up distancing himself.
“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,” she wrote, adding:
“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,” she continued, adding:
“I felt a disconnect. What followed were respectful disagreements that took an emotional toll on me. During the last two years, I had to step away to protect my heart.”
It couldn’t have been easy for Brooke to speak so publicly about such private matters.
Hopefully, she’s able to take some solace in knowing her father is at rest after fighting for so long.