Brooke Hogan Breaks Silence on Hulk Hogan's Death, Clears Up Relationship

Brooke Hogan is breaking her silence on Hulk Hogan's death ... and she's clearing up a few things involving their relationship.

Hulk's daughter just posted a long statement on social media, the first time she's spoken out about his passing ... and she says, "We had a connection deeper than words, one that spanned lifetimes."

Brooke says Hulk lives on through her and her children -- including a daughter who bears his middle name, and sometimes, his scent -- and she says she's grateful she knew the real HH a not just the one the "world viewed through a carefully curated lens."

Hulk's daughter says they "shared a quiet, sacred bond, one that could be seen and felt by anyone who witnessed us together" ... and she says she felt like a part of her spirit left with Hulk when he died, and claims she felt it before she got the tragic news.

Brooke says her dad always told her, "All of this is temporary and I'll always find my way back to you" ... and she says she truly believes his word.

TMZ broke the story ... Hulk died Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest ... and Brooke says her dad is finally at peace and out of pain. She says he talked about death and told her "meeting God was the greatest championship he'd ever have."

Brooke is clearing up what she says is a convoluting narrative about their relationship ... as they'd been estranged for a couple years before Hulk died. She says they never had a "big fight" and never fought at all.

Instead, Brooke says she had a series of private phone calls with her dad that no one will ever hear, know or understand. She says Hulk was confiding in her about health, personal and business issues ... so she moved to Florida to be near him, but claims all of a sudden he didn't want her around and "everything started getting covered in a thick veil."

Brooke says ... "It was like there was a force field around him that I couldn't get through." She says respectful disagreements followed, but it took an emotional toll on her ... and for the past two years, she had to "step away to protect my heart."

Hulk's daughter says through it all, her father knew how much she loved him and she's at peace knowing he understood.