The Rock recalls emotional final conversation with father, Rocky Johnson
Around a week ago, while appearing on the Artist Friendly with Joel Madden podcast, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson recalled his emotional final conversation with his father, Rocky Johnson. The Rock never shared a very close bond with his father, yet he regrets how their final conversation went.
Discussing their relationship, Johnson reflected on the tough love his father showed him before narrating their strenuous bond and last moments.
“We got into this huge fight Christmas 2019. It was awful. One of the biggest fights we ever got into about some just some stupid [stuff],” Johnson added. “And then about a month later, he passed away. And we weren’t talking.”
The father-son complicated relationship was also brought to life on screen in NBC’s Young Rock series.
Rocky Johnson was the first African American WWF World Tag Team Champion and was inducted into the 2008 class of WWE Hall of Fame by his son before WrestleMania 24.
Johnson died on January 15, 2020, at the age of 75 due to a pulmonary embolism. It was caused by a blood clot that traveled from a deep vein thrombosis in his leg. The Hall of Famer died at his Lutz, Florida home, purchased by his son.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
Shounak takes particular interest in soccer, closely following top clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal. Beyond sports, he enjoys fiction writing, photography, gaming, and cinema.