Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Bought His Dad Rocky Johnson a New Home Just Months Before His Passing

Shortly after it was reported that Rocky Johnson passed away, it resurfaced that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gave a majorly generous gift to his father just last year. According to Entertainment Tonight, Dwayne bought his father a house, and he chronicled how the gift came to be in an emotional, lovely Instagram video in March 2019.

“I just got off the phone with my dad and, man, it was a great call and I just had to share this with you guys really quick,” the Jumanji star shared on Instagram. “So about two, three weeks ago, 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.’”

“He couldn’t believe it, he was speechless,” Dwayne continued. “So he just called me now. It’s a big weekend, he’s gonna go look at properties. He’s a Florida boy, so he’s going to go up to North Florida and look and he goes, ‘I’m so excited. I’m also so nervous.’”

“My dad’s an old-school tough guy,” he said about his dad, who was a wrestler in the WWE with the nickname “Soul Man.” “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.”

“I never heard my dad talk like that. It felt good to me and it felt good to my heart,” he said. “You know, my dad used to beat my a—. Tough love, and I hated it back then, but I’m so grateful for it now. It just felt good to kind of give back to the ones who raised you. So, love you too, Pop.”

It’s quite emotional to look back at Dwayne’s Instagram post now, particularly in light of the devastating loss of his father. On Wednesday, Jan. 15, the WWE confirmed that Rocky had passed away in a statement which detailed his illustrious career with the wrestling organization.

“WWE is saddened to learn that Rocky ‘Soul Man’ Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles), a WWE Hall of Famer and former World Tag Team Champion, has passed away at age 75,” the statement read.

Dwayne has not yet spoken out about the news. But, his fans have flocked to social media in the hours since the news was originally reported in order to send their condolences his way.