Nikolas Sargeant
The cryptocurrency market witnessed explosive growth in celebrity-themed memecoins this week following the reported deaths of wrestling icon Hulk Hogan and heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne. Terry Bollea, known worldwide as Hulk Hogan, was reportedly pronounced dead at age 71 after a possible cardiac arrest, while Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne passed away Tuesday at 76.
Memorial-themed tokens capitalized on the tragic news with remarkable price surges. A Wrapped Ethereum token called Hulkmanaia (HULK) exploded over 122,000% at its peak, reaching 0.001335 just eight hours after creation. Similarly, The Mad Man (OZZY) token pumped over 16,800% to $0.003851, achieving a $3.85 million market cap as fans rushed to purchase tribute tokens.
The phenomenon extended beyond memecoins into the broader NFT market rally, where Osbourne's official CryptoBatz collection experienced a 400% surge as collectors scrambled to acquire pieces of his digital legacy. An existing Solana-based HULKAMANIA token from last year also benefited, spiking over 2,000% despite remaining far below its previous $18.8 million peak when Hogan's social media briefly promoted it.
This pattern of opportunistic token creation following celebrity deaths has become increasingly common in the crypto space. Similar memecoin rushes occurred after the deaths of O.J. Simpson in April 2024 and Henry Kissinger in November 2023. However, most of these tribute tokens lack official endorsement from the celebrities' estates, with many disappearing as quickly as they emerge in suspected rug pull schemes.
