Reactions have begun pouring on across social media as news broke on Wednesday evening that the father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Rocky Johnson, has passed away. He was 75 years old at the time of death. The cause of his death is unknown.
I am so sorry to hear of the passing of the great Rocky Johnson. Always a gentleman, I always enjoyed talking with him. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and the fans who loved him. A very sad day for wrestling.#RIPRockyJohnson pic.twitter.com/4agKbOzAry
— Mick Foley (@RealMickFoley) January 15, 2020
Johnson left a legacy behind him in the world of professional wrestling. Because of that, many of the industry’s biggest names have voiced their thoughts and prayers following the tragic news. Among those were Mick Foley, who competed against and alongside The Rock for many years.
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During his heyday, Johnson had quite a few accomplishments during his time competing in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
Among his most distinguished honors was being one half of the first black tag team champion team alongside Tony Atlas. He made his debut in the WWF in 1983 after climbing the ranks following his debut in the mid 1960s.
Johnson & Atlas vs. The Wild Samoans was one of the first matches I can clearly recall as a kid in 1983. THAT match, with Captain Lou Albano as the Samoans’ manager, got me hooked on wrestling.
— Jack’s Son, Pollock (@JackEsteem) January 15, 2020
Many other wrestlers, and fans, reacted to the loss of Johnson.
“One of the men I looked up to and one of the best to ever do it. God rest his soul,” wrote Booker T, whose real name is Robert Booker Tio Huffman.
“Rocky Johnson was a huge part of my introduction to becoming a lifelong wrestling fan:my first memory of becoming a fan was watching Rocky and Tony Atlas become WWF World Tag Team Champions back in November,1983.Godspeed,”Soulman,” one fan of his wrote,
WWE also issued a statement following his passing.
“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 league said in a statement Wednesday.
