Hulk Hogan Considered Suicide When Wife Sought Divorce

Hulk Hogan admits he was nearly driven to suicide following his wife Linda`s divorce filing in the fall of 2007 - a surprising admission the wrestling legend makes in a book dedicated to none other than his ex-wife.

"To Linda, I pray that you find peace and joy in life. I love you," Hogan writes on the dedication page of My Life Outside the Ring, a tell-all autobiography, co-authored by PEOPLE senior writer Mark Dagostino, that hits bookshelves Tuesday.

The affectionate dedication may come as a shock to fans who followed the couple`s bitter divorce, which ended when they reached a settlement last July. Hogan describes that tumultuous period of his life, beginning with his son Nick`s August 2007 car accident. Four months later, shortly after his wife Linda filed for divorce, Hogan found himself chasing Xanax pills with swigs of rum one weekend - while holding a gun in his hand.

"I could feel the life draining out of me," he writes. "It had me curling my index finger on the trigger of a loaded handgun and putting it in my mouth."

He adds: "Obviously I didn`t kill myself, but I came damn close."

After an unexpected phone call from his American Gladiators co-host, Laila Ali, snapped him out of his funk, Hogan says he went on to recover from that low by rediscovering his faith - and by making up his mind to do whatever it took to find happiness again.

Steroids, Drugs and an Affair
The brush with suicide isn`t Hogan`s only striking revelation. For the first time, he opens up about the sheer volume of steroids he pumped into his body throughout the first half of his career; he talks about using cocaine in the late `70s and early `80s; and he reveals intimate scenes from his broken marriage.

"I can`t tell you how many nights I went to bed and the last words I heard before my head hit the pillow were `F--- you, Terry,` " writes Hogan (real name: Terry Bollea). "It got so bad, she wouldn`t touch me. We`d go to bed and roll over, and there was no physical contact whatsoever."

Hogan also addresses the affair he had with Christiane Plante - a friend of his daughter, Brooke - as well as the happiness he`s found with the new love of his life, his girlfriend of nearly two years, Jennifer McDaniel.

Hogan, scheduled to appear on the Today show and CNN`s Larry King Live Tuesday, will also hit Jimmy Fallon`s late-night show Wednesday before a two-week cross-country book tour.

"My life`s been one hell of a trip," Hogan writes, "and I`m more than happy to take you along for the ride."

sections: Celebrities