WWE Hall of Fame and Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson’s father Rocky “Soul Man” Johnson has passed away. He was 75. Rocky died on Wednesday. The cause of his death is not known yet, according to a report by variety.com.
World Wrestling Entertainment issued a statement about his death on Wednesday night. Johnson and Tony Atlas became the first black world tag-team champions in WWE history when they defeated the Wild Samoans on 10 December 1983. WWE did not give details on the cause or location of Johnson’s death.
After retiring from the sport in 1991, the wrestling superstar began training his son Dwayne (also known as The Rock), who eventually became one of the biggest figures in the sport - something Rocky describes in his autobiography Soulman: The Rocky Johnson Story as one of his greatest achievements.
He was named by his son into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.
Rocky, born and raised in Nova Scotia, began his career in the mid 1960s as part of the National Wrestling Alliance. He went on to become the first African-American to win the Southern, Georgia and Florida heavyweight titles before starting his wrestling career with WWE in 1983.
The wrestler had several memorable rivalries with competitors like Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Adrian Adonis and Don Muraco.
(Inputs: IANS)
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