Oh, this one’s emotional — so let’s talk about it.
Brooke Hogan, daughter of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, made a deeply personal — and undeniably controversial — choice when she skipped her father’s private funeral this week. And while some might raise eyebrows, she didn’t shy away from explaining exactly why. In fact, she took it straight to social media and said, in essence: “This is how I honor my dad — not with black suits and pews, but with sunsets and salt water.”
Now, if you’re imagining palm trees, waves crashing, and a quiet stretch of Florida beach — that’s exactly where Brooke Hogan spent the day her father was laid to rest.
With her husband, former NHL player Steven Oleksy, and their kids, Brooke watched the sun dip below the horizon and called it “the most genuine way” she could honor her father. And whether you agree with the decision or not, you’ve got to admit — it’s raw. It’s real. And it tells you something deeper than any eulogy ever could.
She said it plainly: her father “hated” the idea of funerals. He didn’t want one. And in a world where every public figure’s death becomes a media circus, Brooke stepped away from the spotlight and created her own moment — private, meaningful, and utterly unfiltered.
She posted photos of her family at the beach. Her twin daughters splashing in the same ocean Hulk once loved. She wrote about being his “beach baby,” remembered him sitting in his pop-up lawn chair, and brought it full circle in a message that was less about grief and more about “connection.” You could almost “hear” the waves, feel the breeze, and sense the quiet between every word.
Of course, the headlines couldn’t help but bring up their complicated relationship. They were estranged in his later years, and she openly acknowledged that.
No big blowup, she said — just a slow, silent drift that no one saw but them. And yet, in the end, she spoke about him with nothing but love.
Back at the church service in Florida, wrestling legends like Triple H and Stephanie McMahon paid their respects. Celebs like Kid Rock and Bam Margera showed up, too. But Brooke? She kept her tribute exactly where she felt it belonged — not in a crowd, but under the open sky, where the sun sets and memories rise.
And maybe that’s the most powerful sendoff of all.
