This has been a rough week for kids of the 80s like me.

First Theo from The Cosby Show died — an accidental drowning in the ocean, the kind that is sadly not uncommon. He was only 54. Way too young. I grew up on that show, as did most of my generation. He was about a decade my senior, but still — I watched him grow up.

Then Ozzy died. So much could be said about him, but @riverflows did a great post about that that everyone should read.

And now, Hulk Hogan has died. The Hulkster is gone. Hulkamania is over.

It always seems like three big names die at or around the same time, and here we are again. The rule of threes strikes again.

What can we say about the Hulkster?

In the last couple decades of his life, he showed us he was something of a POS (piece of shit). His reality TV show made it clear he was a racist, and he recently leaned into that further by embracing the MAGA movement and campaigning for Trump — including giving a hate-spewing speech at the RNC.

Even before his fall from grace in the public eye, a large percentage of people in the wrestling world hated his guts. They called him a POS behind the scenes too. They accused him of refusing to lose matches, even when the storyline or Vince himself called for it. Of bullying younger wrestlers. Of being a self-centered egomaniac.

So… yeah. Not a nice guy.

Yet at the same time, I’m conflicted.

It may be hard to understand unless you grew up in the 80s, but he was larger-than-life. He was a superhero. He was on TV telling us to drink our milk, kiss our mothers, and do good in school. His image was spotless. All of us kids knew his theme song. We knew that when he took too many hits and started hulking up — that look on his face — we were about to see someone kick ass.

Do we separate the art from the artist? River asked the same in her post on Ozzy. I think yes. Hulk Hogan the man was an asshole. But the part he played, the mythological Hulk Hogan who inspired a generation — that’s absolutely worth remembering. That’s the Hulk I grieve for.

And as for the real man — the hateful one — I hope he finds some peace, wherever he ends up.

Anyway, RIP to all three: Theo, Ozzy, and the Hulkster.

❦

David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Mastodon. 【Support @dbooster with Hive SBI】