Dwayne Johnson Shares Emotional Instagram After His Dad's Death: "Rest Your Trailblazing Soul"

From Prevention

UPDATE: 1/18/2020 at 12 p.m.

On Friday, The Rock took to Instagram to pay tribute to his late father for the first time since his passing earlier this week. In an emotional post, Dwayne shared a video of when he was a young boy watching his father compete in the ring, alongside a lengthy caption.

"I love you. You broke color barriers, became a ring legend and trail blazed your way thru this world. I was the boy sitting in the seats, watching and adoring you, my hero from afar. The boy you raised to always be proud of our cultures and proud of who and what I am. The boy you raised with the toughest of love," he wrote in the caption.

Dwayne said that he adored his father and respected his father and everything he had taught him. "Grateful that you gave me life. Grateful you gave me life’s invaluable lessons," he wrote. "Dad, I wish I had one more shot to tell you, I love you, before you crossed over to the other side. But you were ripped away from me so fast without warning. Gone in an instant and no coming back."

The Rock said that he's in pain, but is hopeful that it will pass. "Now I’ll carry your mana and work ethic with me, as it’s time to move on because I have my family to feed and work to accomplish," he wrote. "Finally, I want you to rest your trailblazing soul, Soulman. Pain free, regret free, satisfied and at ease. 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."

ORIGINAL: 1/16/2020 at 12:26 p.m.

Dwayne Johnson's father has passed away at 75. On Wednesday night, World Wrestling Entertainment issued a statement announcing the death of Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson, who was a Canadian professional wrestler and Hall of Fame inductee.

Rocky had successful wrestling career and inspired his son to pursue professional wrestling. He launched his career at age 16 and joined the WWE in 1983, when he began wrestling with professional wrestler Tony Atlas. He battled racism and prejudice, making history when he and Tony became the first black world tag-team champions in 1983.

Growing up watching his father in the ring, Dwayne followed in his father's footsteps and pursued professional wrestling. He had a pretty good coach, being the son of Rocky Soul Man Johnson! In an interview with The Hannibal TV, Rocky admitted that he would train his son "150%. And I was hard on him. But he never gave up.” As a result, Dwayne credits his father with showing him what it means to be a man, especially given Rocky's upbringing.

In December 2016, Dwayne shared vulnerable story about his father's childhood to Instagram. Rocky's dad passed away when he was just 13, and his mother threw him out of the house, leaving him to fend for his own. Being homeless led Rocky to live minimally, even after his WWE success.

"Every Christmas, I always think about that story and my dad having every odd stacked against him at 13, but he fought through it and still made something of himself," Johnson wrote in an Instagram caption, alongside a photo of the new car he bought his dad. He said that Rocky's childhood made him appreciate his father's hard work and struggle, as well as all the times he would push him in the gym. "I hated it then, but I embrace it now. Made a man outta me."

In an Instagram post from June 2018, Dwayne wished Rocky a Happy Father's Day with a heart-felt message about being raised by him.

"Little boys by nature, look up to and idolize their old man. They want to be just like 'em, do whatever they do and are always looking for their approval. Funny thing is the day I stopped looking for that approval was the day I understood what it meant to be man and more importantly, a father,” Dwayne wrote in the caption, adding that he now has so much gratitude for the tough love his father gave him.

"Years later as a man and father of three girls, I know that tough love, is a hell of a lot better than no love at all. I’ll take it. It’s made me who I am today. Grateful to the original Rock,” he wrote.

Although Dwayne "hated" the "tough love" his father used to give him, he's learned to appreciate all that his father has taught him. In an Instagram post from March 2019, Dwayne thanked his father for all that he's done by gifting him a brand new house.

"I just got off the phone with my dad and, man, it was a great call," he said in the video. “About 2-3 weeks ago, I called my dad and I said, ‘Look, you’re probably happy where you’re at.’ I said, ‘but I want to do something for you. I want to buy you a brand new home, wherever you wanna live, you can live."

“He couldn’t believe it, he was speechless,” he continued. “And he goes, ‘I’m so excited, and I’m also so nervous. My dad’s an old school tough guy, I said, ‘What the hell you nervous about? He said, ‘Well, no one,’ he was searching for words, and he’s like, ‘no one ever called to tell me they were going to 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.”

Wishing Dwayne and the Johnson family the best during this difficult time.

Like what you just read? You’ll love our magazine! Go here to subscribe. Don’t miss a thing by downloading Apple News here and following Prevention. Oh, and we’re on Instagram too.

You Might Also Like

• The Best Yoga Mats, According to Top Yoga Instructors

• The Shockingly Simple Diet Change This Woman Made to Drop 54 Pounds

• Losing Stubborn Belly Fat Really Comes Down to These Two Lifestyle Changes