Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's father Rocky Johnson dead at 75
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's father, Rocky Johnson, has died at 75.
The WWE confirmed the sad news of Rocky's death today.
"WWE is saddened to learn that Rocky 'Soul Man' Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles), a WWE Hall of Famer, former World Tag Team Champion, and father of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, has passed away at age 75," the organisation posted to Twitter.
Rocky was known as the first African-American World Tag Team Champion in WWE when he defeated The Wild Samoans on December 10, 1983.
He retired from wrestling in 1991, and he received the highest honour when Dwayne inducted him into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.
Rocky Johnson attends "Unite in the Fight... to Knockout Bullying" at the Hard Rock Cafe New York on October 20, 2011 in New York City. Getty
Dwayne recently posted a video to Instagram where he spoke fondly about his father, and his plans to buy him a home.
"I called my dad and I said, 'Look, you're probably happy where you're at but I want to do something for you. I want to buy you a brand-new home, wherever you want to live, you can live,'" Dwayne shared on Instagram on March 2, 2019.
"My dad's an old-school tough guy, I said, 'What the hell are you nervous about?' And he said, 'Well,' he was searching for words. 'No one ever called to tell me they were gonna buy me a house before and the fact that it's you, it's my son, I'm so proud of you and I love you so much.'"
The Rock, Rocky Johnson and Ata Maivia. FilmMagic
Tributes from the WWE community have been pouring in with numerous members sharing their heartfelt condolences.
