Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson continues to show why he is one of the nicest people in the business. On Oct. 3, he continued his annual tradition of wishing happy birthday to Marie Grover, a fan who turned 102 this year. The Jungle Cruise star began the tradition in 2019 when Grover celebrated her 100th birthday.
“When she turned 100, I started singing Happy Birthday to Grandma Grover. Today she’s 102 years old… and this has become one of my FAVORITE things to do. And she sang back to me!!” Johnson wrote. “I wish I still had my grandma, but I do have her! Enjoy your birthday!” Johnson included a video of himself wishing Grover a happy birthday from his gym. Johnson sang “Happy Birthday” to Grover, who was overcome with emotion as he sang and blew kisses to her.
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Back in September 2019, Jamie Klingler, a Philadelphia communications and events expert living in London, decided to take a shot on Twitter and asked Johnson if he could wish her friend’s grandmother a happy birthday for her big milestone. “She will lose her mind. When we were in high school (25 years ago) she would wear a Rock sweatshirt and tell us how handsome he is,” Klinger wrote. Johnson spotted the tweet and got to work. He sent Grover a video, featuring himself singing “Happy Birthday.”
In an interview with BuzzFeed in 2019, Klinger said her friend’s family was grateful that Johnson took time out of his busy schedule to record the special message for them. “It’s really all down to Dwayne and his kindness,” she told BuzzFeed. “He made an old woman so incredibly happy. I will always be grateful. She is a legend.” Johnson also wished Grover a happy birthday in October 2020, proving that he never forgets his very special fans.
In Johnson’s message this year, he mentioned his late grandmother, Ofelia Fuataga Maivia, who died in 2008 at 77. During a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Johnson said his grandmother was homeless and lived with another family for a year, so one of his ambitions in life was to help his grandmother have her own home. He even included this on a list of life goals. Even after he hit it big as a wrestler, he kept that list as a “great reminder… and not only that, but we talked about failures: I did graduate, didn’t make it into the NFL, fixed my grandmother’s situation.”
Johnson was recently seen in Disney’s Jungle Cruise, based on the theme park ride. He also stars in Netflix’s big-budget action movie Red Notice, which will be released on Nov. 15, and co-stars Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds. Next year, he will be seen in the DC Comics movie Black Adam, which opens on July 29, 2022.
