Dwyane Johnson's father, Rocky 'Soulman' Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles), passed away last week at the age of 75. The WWE Hall of Famer was known for breaking down barriers, being crowned one-half of the first-ever African-American World Tag Team Champions.
The Rock explained in a video posted to his Instagram that his father's passing was sudden. He complained of a cold and an infection that developed into deep vein thrombosis.
In the video below, The Rock tears up as he reveals he never got to say goodbye to his dad:The Rock captioned the video: "Hard to express how deeply grateful I am for all your love, mana & support. My family and I thank you.
"Go hug your loved ones hard, while you still can.
"I love you. DJ #ripsoulman."
Deep vein thrombosis is a condition notorious for causing potentially fatal blood clots, which is what happened to Rocky, Dwayne revealed. He developed a clot that ultimately resulted in a heart attack.
While the death was tragic and unexpected, it was instantaneous, meaning that the 75-year-old did not suffer.
After explaining that he never got a chance to say goodbye to his dad, Dwayne said that he was glad he was no longer suffering because he lived with chronic pain.
Johnson reveals that he bought his dad a house as payback for his tough love:The former wrestler-turned-actor explained that he was now going to live by his dad's advice and "get back up" - regardless of the fact his death was going to leave a huge hole in his life.
Dwayne concluded the video by saying that he was going to the gym to work on his legs using his dad's techniques. He was then going to write his dad's eulogy, perhaps with a tequila or two to help.
In a statement following his death, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) described Rocky Johnson as "physically imposing and wildly charismatic", as per NBC Sports.
