Talk about a gut punch. Three iconic figures passed away within the last couple of weeks and it took a real toll on me. Usually, celebrity passings do not get to me too much. When Kobe Bryant passed away, however, I blubbered like a baby. Kobe meant so much to me growing up. I am a Sacramento Kings fan but I always respected him. So much so that my wife and I named our youngest son Kobe. Believe me; I am heading somewhere with this. When going through the naming process, you come up with other suggestions. One of mine was “Theo”. I wanted to name him Theo after the character Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show. As a kid, I thought he was the coolest teenager. He was so relatable. I truly looked up to him. In case you didn’t know, “Theo” was played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner. At the age of 14 he entered our living rooms via the television set and was must see television. So many great moments from the show revolved around Theo. From the pilot episode when he brought home a bad report card, or the time he wanted to impress his date by having a Gordon Gartrell shirt only to have his sister make him one and it turned out to be a disaster. Him lip syncing to “Night Time is the Right Time” by Ray Charles for his grandparents on the stairway for their anniversary. My absolute favorite episode was “Theo’s Holiday”. The family teamed up to show Theo what it would be like in the “real world”. To this day my oldest son and I watch reruns of The Cosby Show and he loves Theo as well. Following the show, he went on to other shows and movies including Malcolm and Eddie. Malcolm-Jamal Warner passed away on July 20 and the news hit July 21. He was only 54.
If that was not bad enough; the next day while at work I got an update on my phone saying Ozzy Osbourne passed away. I haven’t taken a musician’s passing this bad since Prince left us. What an interesting life he lived. People often associate him with “biting a head off a bat” but in my opinion, he was a genius. He was a huge professional wrestling fan. He was in the corner of The British Bulldogs at WrestleMania 2 when they won the tag team title. He was later named guest host of Monday Night Raw. I was fortunate enough to attend Ozzfest in 2002. It was amazing and I will cherish that forever. I’ll never forget hearing my mom laugh hysterically at the television and I asked what she was watching and she said “The Osbournes”. She loved Ozzy and the show introduced us to a whole new side of him and his family as well. A few weeks ago, he took the stage for the final time and I watched some of his performances online and I must say I thought he performed very well. His lyrics were clear and the fans in England showed him so much love.
Thursday, July 24, 2025 will forever be a dark day in history for me. My childhood hero, Hulk Hogan passed away at the age of 71. Just typing this brings tears to my eyes. To say he was an icon, legend, folk hero is a massive understatement. This man shaped professional wrestling to what it is today bar none, no argument. When Hulkamania was born in 1984 it was Earth-shattering overnight. He taught us to train, say your prayers and eat your vitamins. Someone asked what are the top three wrestling moments that he had. Number one; WrestleMania 3 in Detroit, Michigan when he body slammed Andre the Giant. It was the true passing the torch moment in sports entertainment. Number two; Bash at the Beach in Dayton Beach, Florida when he turned heel and joined Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form the New World Order in 1996. His heel turn into “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan changed the wrestling landscape forever. In a time when pro wrestling was not very popular, the next day – and I mean the very next day – World Championship Wrestling was must see television. It was cool to wear NWO T-shirts at school. Hogan’s third biggest moment took place at WrestleMania 18 in 2002. The Skydome in Toronto, Canada. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan took on The Rock. The Rock was the heavy favorite but the fans in the Skydome were fully behind the Hulkster. Both The Rock and Hogan have spoken about that moment several times over the years and both referenced it as a full circle moment for Hogan and officially passing the torch much like Andre did for Hogan 15 years prior.
My earliest memories are surrounded by Hulk Hogan. My parents had pictures of me as a toddler wearing a Hulk Hogan T-shirt, holding an American flag. I will forever be a Hulkamaniac and Hulkamania will indeed live on forever.
Say what you will about any of these people; but I do not care. These people provided laughter, music, pop culture, wrestling memories and love to so many people; including my family. Their work will live on forever.
Dennis D. Cruz is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. He may be reached at drcruz@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.
