On January 15, the WWE shared the news that Hall of Fame wrestler Rocky Johnson had passed away at the age of 75. Rocky was the father of wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who respected him greatly.
The Rock remained silent for a while after the initial news of his father’s death went public. He then broke his silence with a lengthy social media post that celebrated his father’s influence and spirit:
“You lived a very full, very hard, barrier breaking life and left it all in the ring.
I love you dad and I’ll always be your proud and grateful son.
Go rest high.”
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A couple days later, The Rock chose to address his fans in a nearly eight-minute video he posted on social media.
In the video, he explained the reason why his father passed away so suddenly. This news was not shared in the initial reports about Rocky’s death.
The Rock said his father developed a blood clot that eventually broke free, traveled to his lung, clotted there, “…and he died very quickly from a massive heart attack, just like that.”
Of course, The Rock was concerned that his father would have been in terrible pain in his final moments. But he says that was not the case. “…He went quick. That’s my old man, he was always quick,” he said.
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Getting emotional, The Rock then spoke to his fans, and encouraged them to show their love to the people they care about. He issued what he called “marching orders,” telling everyone listening to give their loved ones a call, a visit, and a hug:
“Text them. Call them. Go see them, if they’re close by and if you can hug them, I want you to hug them. You tell them that these are the marching orders from Dwayne Johnson who just lost his old man. But you hug them and you hug them hard.”
We’re sure The Rock wishes he could share one more hug with his beloved father. You can tune in below to watch his full video addressing Rocky’s death.
Our hearts and prayers go out to The Rock and the entire Johnson family during their time of grief. May Rocky rest in peace.