Dwayne Johnson confirms father Rocky's cause of death in emotional tribute

Actor's friends Mark Wahlberg and Ryan Reynolds were among those to send their condolences 

Roisin O'Connor
Tuesday 21 January 2020 08:38 GMT
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Dwayne Johnson confirms father's cause of death in emotional video

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has shared a moving video addressing the death of his father, Rocky Johnson.

The professional wrestler, who had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, died last week aged 75.

His son has now revealed that he died following medical complications.

“As you know, I lost my old man a few days ago. I lost him just like that, didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him,” Johnson said in the Instagram video.

“I would give anything right now to give him a big ole hug and a big ole kiss before he crossed over and just say thank you and I love you and I respect you. I didn't get a chance to say that, but such is life, as many of you know.”

The 47-year-old actor also recalled the special relationship he had with his father: “There's a unique father-and-son bond that's so unique and it's a testosterone-driven bond that's irreplaceable.

“So there's so much about my old man and all of his complexities that only me as his son can understand.”

According to Johnson, Rocky died from a condition called deep vein thrombosis.

“He had not been feeling well,” Johnson revealed. “He'd been battling a cold and infection and on Tuesday he had what's called a deep vein thrombosis, which is essentially a blood clot in the leg.

“It was a big old blood clot that broke free, travelled up his body and went right to his lung, clotted his lung and he died very quickly from a massive heart attack.”

Johnson assured viewers that his father “went quick”. “That's my old man,” he said. “He was always quick. That did give me great comfort because it wasn't prolonged.”

He reflected on his father’s career and said his father often told him “a day without pain is like a day without sunshine”.

Johnson’s friend and fellow Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg commented on the video, saying, “Love brother.”

“Beautifully said. Sending you and the family tons of love,” Ryan Reynolds wrote.

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