Kerri and Dave Robers were getting ready to embark on the 14-hour drive from Clearwater Beach back home to Cincinnati.

• Then they saw the news on Facebook. Hulk Hogan, the charismatic wrestler they'd grown up rooting for, had died that morning.

Why it matters: Like scores of Hogan fans yesterday, they flocked to Hogan's Hangout, the WWE Hall of Famer's restaurant and bar on Clearwater Beach.

• "It feels right to be here," Mary Walters, 53, said while thumbing through T-shirts printed with cartoon versions of Hogan, right arm curled, left arm stretched in front of him.

The big picture: Outside, passersby snapped photos in front of the shop while news crews gathered footage of the most visible footprint of Hogan's influence on Tampa Bay.

• Inside, tees, tank tops and beer steins with curled bicep handles flew off the shelves while Rick Derringer's "Real American" — one of Hogan's go-to entrance songs — played over the speakers.

What they're saying: "He was like a little hero as a kid," said Josh Gunter, 43, who grew up in Arizona watching nothing but wrestling stars like Hogan, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Jake "the Snake" Roberts battle it out on TV.

• Gunter and his friend Dominic Barraza, 31, were crossing the road toward Hogan's shop when a buddy texted him the news.
• "Wtf I am in Florida right now and just passed his store!!!!" Gunter replied. They stopped in so Gunter could buy a red durag, à la Hogan, which surprisingly wasn't a merch offering.

Zoom out: A couple of tables over, the Robers awaited a couple of Kona Big Waves with their own souvenirs tucked inside a plastic bag.

• Hogan had seemed so healthy, so energetic when he was campaigning for President Trump last year, Kerri Robers, 51, said.
• She ticked off the string of celebrity deaths this week: first, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theodore Huxtable in "The Cosby Show," then Ozzy Osbourne, and now this.

The bottom line: "Our generation lost a huge chunk of our childhood," she said.

Share this story

With Hulk Hogan's death, Tampa Bay lost perhaps its most famous resident yesterday — a legendary pro wrestler, actor, entrepreneur and reality TV star.

Catch up quick: Clearwater fire and police personnel rushed Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, from his Clearwater Beach home yesterday morning to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

• Clearwater police Maj. Nate Burnside at a press conference said there were no signs of foul play or suspicious activity, though police were still investigating, as is protocol.

What they're saying: Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector on X called Hogan "an inspiration to our Clearwater community and millions around the world," who was "so proud of his home city and was very active in our community."

• Gov. Ron DeSantis called Hogan "a major icon" during a news conference in Bradenton, per the Tampa Bay Times.
• "As a young kid growing up, that was like … 'Wow, that's our superhero.' The fact that he was from the Tampa Bay area, when I'm growing up there, was like, 'Oh my gosh. Like, this guy lives in our area.'"

Zoom in: Hogan was a homegrown Tampa Bay celebrity. He was raised in South Tampa and attended Robinson High School.

• Throughout his life, he was often spotted in public or appearing at sporting and charitable events in Tampa Bay.
• He was also for years a frequent guest of the "Bubba the Love Sponge Show," a Tampa-based radio program.

Friction point: Hogan's friendship with the show's host, "Bubba" Clem, spurred a major controversy after the website Gawker in 2012 published a portion of a video depicting Hogan and Clem's wife having sex.

• Hogan, with the financial backing of tech billionaire Peter Thiel, successfully sued Gawker for invasion of privacy and was awarded $115 million by a jury in St. Petersburg in 2016.
• He faced another scandal in 2015 over a recording of him using the n-word. Hogan, in apologizing, cited his Tampa upbringing, claiming use of the word "was part of the culture and the environment I grew up in."

Go deeper: Trump hails "great friend"

Hulk Hogan made a living playing to the camera, producing countless images of his shirt-tearing, crowd-taunting, leg-dropping acrobatics.

• Check out some images from his life and career:

⚖️ Michael Gordon, a former federal prosecutor in Tampa, plans to file a lawsuit challenging the legality of his termination, which he claims was due to his involvement in Jan. 6 cases. (Tampa Bay Times)

• Gordon helped indict Leo Govoni in a $100 million fraud case, and his dismissal drew criticism from victims.

💰Some Slide insurance policyholders are outraged after learning that Bruce Lucas, CEO of the Tampa-based insurer, had a $21.1 million salary. (WFTS)

Click here to test your knowledge of this week's headlines.

📬 Hit reply with a screenshot of your perfect score, and you could get a shout-out (AKA bragging rights!) in a future newsletter.