Brooke Hogan Grateful She Told Hulk 'I Love You' In Last Conversation

Brooke Hogan is telling people close to her she's grateful she had one final chance to tell father Hulk Hogan she loved him, even if they were estranged in his final years ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Brooke tell TMZ … she learned of her dad's death Thursday morning when her brother, Nick, texted her husband to share the news. We're told the father-daughter relationship had been fractured for some time -- the result of a culmination of issues over the years and how Hulk treated Brooke.

Our sources say the last time they spoke was two weeks before Hulk married Sky Daily in September 2023. During that final phone call, we're told Brooke expressed deep love and concern for her father, telling him she didn't think he should still be working so hard given his declining health.

We're told she urged her dad to slow down and enjoy life, but Hulk didn't want to hear it … and they hadn't spoken since. Hulk also apologized to her during the call, but wasn't specific for what.

We are told Brooke was concerned with what was going on in his life and was always very protective of him. Our sources say Brooke was always coming from a place of love and concern -- even when it wasn't well-received.

Her husband even made multiple efforts to mend the relationship, including reaching out when Brooke nearly died during childbirth ... but Hulk responded coldly and never made an effort to meet Brooke's kids. Our sources say he ultimately only wanted a relationship with her under his terms.

Despite all that, we're told Brooke feels lucky and grateful she got to say "I love you" during their last conversation, and she feels at peace knowing she did everything she could to protect and support him.

We broke the story ... Hulk died Thursday morning. We were told medics were dispatched to the WWE icon's Clearwater, Florida home early, with operators stating it was regarding a "cardiac arrest."