WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, died Wednesday. Johnson, whose real name was Wayde Douglas Bowles, was 75.
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World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) confirmed his death on Wednesday in a statement. No cause of Rocky’s death was given.
In a statement, WWE said the company is “saddened” by Johnson’s passing and offering condolences to his family.
Known as “Soul Man”, rose to fame with WWE in the 1980s. He retired from ring in 1991, but he helped train his son Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is now one of the biggest WWE wrestling icons in the world. He became a huge success in the sport before becoming an actor, starring in blockbuster movies such as Fast & Furious, The Scorpion King and the Jumanji franchise.
In 2008, Rocky Johnson achieved the highest honor in sports-entertainment when he was inducted by The Rock into the WWE Hall of Fame where he will be forever enshrined as one of sports-entertainment’s most influential performers.
He is survived by The Rock as well as his other son, Curtis, and his daughter, Wanda.
The National Wrestling Alliance is saddened to hear of the passing of Rocky Johnson.
His legacy stretches across every promotion. He was a champion everywhere he went including holding the NWA Georgia Championship.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his entire family. pic.twitter.com/KTqHZns6Hb
— NWA (@nwa) January 15, 2020
A loss for every fan of @WWE, Rocky Johnson was a barrier-breaking performer. Our thoughts are with his family at this time. https://t.co/nHcyt0MYfr
— Triple H (@TripleH) January 16, 2020
Image Courtesy: wwe.com
