Pro wrestler Rocky Johnson, father of Dwayne Johnson, passed away in January 2020 at age 75 after suffering a heart attack.
For Father’s Day, Dwayne Johnson reflects on his “complicated relationship” with his late father Rocky.
Johnson, 51, shared a video on Instagram on Monday in which he expressed regret for “all the fathers out there like me, who on this day, we don’t have the privilege anymore of wishing our own dads a happy Father’s Day” and expressed sympathy for “all the fathers out there like me, who on this day, we don’t have the privilege anymore of wishing our own dads a happy Father’s Day.”
In the video he claimed to have created while exercising, Johnson, who was dressed in a sweat-drenched hoodie and shorts, said the holiday can be “a tricky thing that we have to contend with.”
Particularly if there are many other guys like me who had a difficult, tough-love relationship with our fathers. I experienced that with my grandfather, and I’m sure many of you did as well. It’s difficult because they aren’t present even if we wish they were, Johnson added, referring to his own father, a Canadian professional wrestler who passed away in January 2020 at the age of 75.
“I wish he were here one more time so that I could tell him, ‘Hey, I love you, happy Father’s Day, thank you for parenting me with the ability you did have, even though at times it was difficult and we argued.’ It’s tough because we don’t have that luxury, he stated in the video.
The Black Adam actor continued by advising followers to “try and reconcile that stuff, try and bring it back together” before revealing that he and Rocky were not speaking at the time of the latter’s passing.
“Over Christmas 2019, my old guy and I got into the largest argument of our lives—not just ours, but also his and mine. In the video, he admitted that we fought.
“We weren’t communicating, or at least I wasn’t communicating, and three weeks later he passed away. I was never given the chance to say goodbye or even to try to make sense of what we were going through. My skin is tingling right now.
Father Rocky and Dwayne Johnson ‘Never Reconciled’ Prior to His Death, the actor claims
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Do your best to come to an understanding because, in the worst case scenario, you can find yourself writing the eulogy for your father’s funeral, like I did, Johnson advised. “I woke up one morning to find that he had passed away, and I had to write and deliver that eulogy. That is not what I desire for you folks.
He continued, “If you have a chance, if your father is still alive, and you do have a chance to make amends,” before stating, “All our dads [who are] up in heaven are looking down on us right now. I hope they’re pleased with what they see.
In 2022, the actor highlighted “that s— was complicated” between him and his father and urged his fans to “raise our glass and try to remember the good stuff” on Father’s Day.
Johnson captioned his video on Monday, “My old man passed away abruptly a few years ago. Unfortunately, we had a fight a month previously and I was never able to make amends with him or even give him a proper farewell.
Therefore, he said, “every Father’s Day has become very difficult for me because there is a lot of pain.” But Father’s Day is also one of my favorite holidays because of my three wonderful daughters, who always wish me a Happy Father’s Day.
To my guys out there, consider it a blessing if your old man is still alive, Johnson wrote. Even when your dad and you are trying to figure out some complicated s—. I can relate because I’ve been there. But try your best to make amends, put the incident behind you, and repair your relationship with your father.
It’s significant.
Because the alternative is regret, and I don’t want that for you, he said.
