Hulk Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, passed away on July 24 at the age of 71. Vince Russo, WCW and WWE's former head writer, recently clarified reports about The Hulkster's health status toward the end of his life.Radio host Bubba the Love Sponge alleged in June that his former friend "might not make it" after being hospitalized. The rumor was immediately dismissed by several outlets and people close to Hogan. However, Bubba continued to share concerning information about the wrestling icon's condition over the next few weeks.Russo revealed to Sportskeeda Wrestling host Mac Davis that he received weekly updates from Bubba about Hogan's health issues. The 64-year-old believed everything the radio personality reported, even when others thought he was lying."He was giving me description of what was going on," Russo said. "I mean, detailed description, so there was that. Then there was, bro, if the guy's lying, he's opening himself up for a huge, huge lawsuit, then you've gotta ask yourself the question, 'Why would the guy lie about something?' He would not lie about something this serious. He would not." [4:04 – 4:38]Watch the video above to hear Russo's take on why WWE's early WrestleMania years were better than the Attitude Era.Vince Russo thought Hulk Hogan's silence spoke volumesAfter retiring from in-ring competition, Hulk Hogan underwent over a dozen surgeries. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer often kept fans updated on his condition after operations. On this occasion, however, he did not post anything health-related on his social media pages.Looking back over the last few weeks, Vince Russo knew Hulk Hogan's situation must have worsened due to his lack of online activity:"This was the telling thing. As he's [Bubba] giving me updates week after week after week, what was the one constant? Nobody ever heard from Hulk. And that is so unlike Hulk. Mac, you know, the guy will be literally on his deathbed promoting [Real] American Beer. You know Hulk. When Hulk is silent, now I know." [4:42 – 5:11]WWE paid tribute to Hogan with 10-bell salutes during the latest SmackDown, RAW, and NXT episodes. Triple H also narrated a video package about the six-time WWE Champion's career.Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.