Hulk Hogan secretly battled leukemia before his death at 71

Hulk Hogan secretly battled leukemia before his death.

The late wrestling legend had a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), per the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center.

CLL, notably, is characterized by the growth of cancerous white blood cells (lymphocytes) in the bone marrow, blood, lymph nodes and spleen (via Mayo Clinic).

The cremation summary approval report, obtained by Page Six on Thursday, also mentioned Hogan’s history of atrial fibrillation.

The document listed the athlete’s cause of death as acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack.

Hogan’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

The former WWE star does not appear to have publicized his cancer diagnosis during his lifetime.

Hogan died on July 24 at age 71 after going into cardiac arrest.

He is survived by wife Sky Daily, as well as his two children with ex-wife Linda Hogan: Nick Hogan and Brooke Hogan.

Hulk’s health declined in the final weeks prior to his passing.

“He was suffering from shortness of breath, got tired easily, had lost a lot of weight and was on oxygen,” a source close to the family told Daily Mail, adding that Hulk had a “weak heart.”

Brooke hinted at her late father’s health issues in her Instagram tribute to him Tuesday while describing their years-long estrangement.

The 37-year-old, who had herself removed from Hulk’s will, wrote that, after supporting him through 24 surgeries, “everything started getting covered in a thick veil.”

She recalled, “It was like there was a force field around him that I couldn’t get through.”

As for Nick, the 35-year-old called Hulk his “mentor” and “best friend” in a touching social media homage and got emotional during WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” tribute.