Hulk Hogan never met his daughter Brooke Hogan’s twins before his death on July 24, according to her husband Steven Oleksy. In an interview with PEOPLE, Oleksy shared that the wrestling icon, whose relationship with Brooke had been strained, showed no interest in meeting the couple’s children, Oliver Andrew and Molly Gene, born in January. Oleksy said he reached out to Hulk about six weeks after the birth of the twins but received no response. Brooke’s brother Nick once said he would bring Hulk over to visit the twins, but that never happened.

Efforts to Rebuild Were Not Returned

Brooke and Oleksy moved to Florida to be closer to Hogan as he aged, and Brooke supported her father through numerous surgeries, often paying for travel out of pocket and taking meticulous notes from his doctors. Despite these efforts, their relationship deteriorated over the last two years. Oleksy said he tried to maintain contact with Hulk and other members of the family, hoping to mend things for Brooke’s sake. “Each and every conversation I had with her father just led me further and further to protect my family and my wife at all costs,” he said.

Brooke Speaks Out After Hogan’s Death

Brooke Hogan & Steven Oleksy
Brooke Hogan with husband, Steven Oleksy, and twins, Oliver & Molly.

Five days after Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Clearwater, Florida, Brooke posted a tribute on Instagram that addressed their estrangement. She explained that there wasn’t one dramatic event that led to their distance, but rather a string of emotional, private conversations. “It was a series of private phone calls no one will ever hear, know, or understand,” she wrote. Brooke said she had offered emotional support and urged her father to take care of himself, but eventually needed to step away to protect her own well-being. After reading old messages between her father and Oleksy—some replied to, others not—she said, “all of them broke my heart.”

Peace in Grief

Despite the unresolved tension, Brooke expressed peace in knowing she had done everything she could. “He knew I would run through a burning building for him,” she wrote. “And in many ways, along the path of life, I did. He knows how deeply, how hard and how purely I loved him.” Oleksy added that Florida has become home for their family and that they plan to remain there. “We’ve built a beautiful life here together,” he told PEOPLE.