The wrestler gave an interview to CBS News just hours after Hogan's death, which came on Thursday, July 24 following cardiac arrest

Hogan’s longtime friend and director of operations at Hogan’s Hangout shared some of his favorite memories with the WWE legend.

So Beefcake was thinking of his friend Hogan — who had reportedly been dealing with several health issues — in the days leading up to his death Thursday morning at age 71, and in an interview with TMZ, Beefcake expressed regret about not being able to see him one last time.

Hulk Hogan's close friend Jimmy Hart talks exclusively to PEOPLE about the WWE star's health in his final days and reflects on his friendship, after Hogan's death on Thursday, July 24.

Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan died on Thursday at the age of 71. Perhaps the most well-known and recognizable wrestler in the history of the industry, he was a major catalyst in the growth of the World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1980s.