Hulk Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, passed away on July 24 at the age of 71. The Hulkster's long-time friend, Brutus Beefcake, recently reflected on his six decades of history with the wrestling icon.Beefcake and Hogan broke into the wrestling business together in the late 1970s. Before that, the two men attended the same high school and struck up a close friendship due to their shared passion for working out.In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Beefcake said all eyes were on Hogan when they hung out at the beach:"I watched him play baseball when he was 12 years old. That's how far back I go. We all went to the same high school. He was three years older than me. Everybody went to the same beach area. He was always out there with his boys. He had a van and had these big giant speakers, just blasting speakers down the beach, and everybody, they always drew attention." [1:47 – 2:16]Watch the video above to hear Brutus Beefcake pay an emotional tribute to Hulk Hogan.How Brutus Beefcake and Hulk Hogan became wrestlersAfter watching Hulk Hogan play in rock bands for several years, Brutus Beefcake decided to follow his friend into the wrestling industry.Beefcake initially felt like the odd one out in his friendship group. However, that changed when he was the only person who wanted to become a wrestler alongside Hogan."I was just a kid that they didn't have any time for, like, 'Hey, look at this kid here,'" Beefcake continued. "Typical hang-around little kid, wants to hang around with the boys, and nobody had time for me until it was time to go run away and become a wrestler, and then everybody chickened out, except who? Me." [2:30 – 2:53]In the same interview, Beefcake disclosed details about more devastating news he received around the time of Hogan's death.Brutus Beefcake was speaking at TMart Promotions' The Gathering 6 in Charlotte, North Carolina.Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.