Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has opened up about not being able to say goodbye to his father, who tragically passed away last week.
The actor held back tears in an emotional video where he thanked fans for their out-pouring of love and support following the news of Rocky ‘Soul Man’ Johnson’s death on January 15.
Dwayne spoke of how suddenly his father passed, and all the things he would’ve said to him if he were given the opportunity to say goodbye.
You can watch the candid video here:
Rocky ‘Soul Man’ Johnson, a former World Tag Team Champion who was born Wayde Douglas Bowles, passed away last week at the age of 75.
Later in the video, Dwayne explained his father had been feeling unwell, with a cold and an infection, before he began to suffer from deep vein thrombosis.
This, the actor said, caused a blood clot in his leg that travelled up to his leg and caused a huge heart attack. The only saving grace was that Rocky died instantly, so did not suffer.
The former wrestling champion did unfortunately live with chronic pain his entire life, and so Dwayne noted his relief his dad was no longer suffering.
While Dwayne said the only thing to do now was to ‘get back up’, he said he would miss the unique bond he had with his dad.
He told his followers:
There’s so much about my old man and all his complexities that only me, as his son, can understand.
Dwayne finished off the video by saying he was heading off to the gym to work on his legs as his father had taught him before starting to write his father’s eulogy, adding that he might have some tequila to help him along the way.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) issued a statement about Rocky’s death on Wednesday night, describing the former pro-wrestler as ‘physically imposing and wildly charismatic’.
Johnson was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, and began wrestling in 1964, although it wasn’t until he began his WWE tenure (then WWF) in 1983 that he rose to fame in the wrestling world.
He found his greatest success when he teamed up with Tony Atlas as The Soul Patrol, becoming the first African American World Tag Team Champions in WWE history when they defeated The Wild Samoans on December 10, 1983.
WWE’s statement said he will be ‘forever enshrined as one of sports-entertainment’s most influential performers’, after achieving the highest honour when he was inducted by The Rock into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.
Rest in peace, Rocky.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via its national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.