The Rock's father, Rocky Johnson, passed away at the age of 75 on January 15, 2020. The Final Boss recently opened up about his father's death and shared some heartbreaking details about their relationship before it happened.
Speaking on The Patrick Bet David Podcast, Rock was asked about the effect of his father's death back in 2020. The 52-year-old admitted that he was shocked by it and regretted that he wasn't able to say goodbye to him because it was so sudden.
The People's Champion added that they had a fight before his father's untimely passing, and he regrets not reconciling before it happened. The fight happened around Christmas time, so it has affected him in many ways.
"I wasn't prepared for it because my dad died suddenly just like that. An embolism traveled out up and ended his life, so it happened suddenly. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. And here's the thing, brother, this is just, it's life. A month before he died, we got into the biggest fight we have ever gotten into, and we never had a chance to reconcile that. It was brutal; it was brutal, and it was during Christmas time too as well so Christmas was just tainted," The Rock said. [From 1:21 - 2:07]
The WWE legend learned a valuable lesson about cherishing all the time you have with your loved ones. He has a different perspective on life after the death of his father.
The Rock inducted his father into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008
'Soulman' Rocky Johnson is a pioneer for Black professional wrestlers, especially in WWE. Johnson and Tony Atlas were the first Black champions in the company's history after winning the World Tag Team Championship back in 1983. He was also a former Georgia Heavyweight Champion and a two-time NWA Television Champion.
WWE honored him alongside his father-in-law, 'High Chief' Peter Maivia, in 2008 when they were inducted by The Rock into the Hall of Fame. It was his second appearance on WWE television since leaving to become a full-time actor in Hollywood.
The Rock also posthumously inducted his grandmother, Lia Maivia, into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year. Lia became a promoter after her husband passed away and took over Polynesian Pro Wrestling in 1982 until it closed in 1988.