They say celebrities die in 3s. First it was Malcolm-Jamal Warner, then Ozzy, and now Terry "The Hulk" Hogan.

Hulk Hogan was such an important hero in my childhood. I had the yellow ripped shirt, the "Hulkamaniac" gym set, the action figures. I thought it was the coolest thing ever that a friend of the family owned a gym where he would work out and I got gifted some photos.

I saw him wrestle Tugboat live... waited tooth and nail to see No Holds Barred in the theaters on opening night. Loved him in Rocky III. Heck, I even loved Thunder in Paradise.

It is a shame that the man behind the character did not live up to the example he set for children. I can't say that I grew up to be much of a fan of the deeply flawed human, Terry Bollea, but his character was larger than life.

I never got into the darker Hollywood Hogan. For me it was the "To all my little Hulkamaniacs, train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins" Hulkster that became one of my earliest heroes. That yellow-and-red clad giant who meant everything to a generation of kids who believed in doing the right thing.

And the world feels somewhat emptier now that that presence is no longer with us.

Rest in peace, Hulk.

P.S. Here are a couple of the photos (I still have them).