Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s dad is dead, according to the WWE.
Rocky Johnson, a WWE pioneer and the father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, passed away Wednesday according to TMZ.
Rocky “Soulman” Johnson began his wrestling career in the 1960’s but he got his big break in the 80’s when he joined WWE. He and Tony Atlas made history as the league’s first African-American tag team champions, as ”The Soul Patrol.”
Rocky Johnson retired in 1991. In 2008, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Dwayne ”The Rock” Johnson adopted his dad’s name when he followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the wrestling industry.
Rocky Johnson, who was living in the Tampa Bay area, had a close relationship with his son. ”The Rock” has often spoken of his humble beginnings. Growing up, his parents never owned the houses they lived in, and his family was forced to move around a lot.
When Rocky Johnson released his autobiography last year “Soulman: The Rocky Johnson story”, it was ”The Rock” who wrote the foreword.
Rocky was 75. RIP