Dwayne Johnson opened up to Oprah about his father's death

On January 15, Dwayne Johnson said goodbye to his famous father Rocky Johnson when the 75-year-old passed away suddenly in his home in Florida. The Canadian-born Johnson had been a guiding force throughout Dwayne’s life, helping his son follow in his footsteps as a professional wrestler and build a work ethic that would later make him the highest paid actor in Hollywood. Only days later, Dwayne sat down with Oprah Winfrey in front of thousands of fans to talk about his father’s passing during Winfrey’s 2020 Vision Tour.The tour stopped in Atlanta, Georgia on January 25 for the emotional and motivating discussion between Johnson and Winfrey, who has now made clips from the event available online. Winfrey was sick during the interview but told her followers that she was inspired to show up because of Johnson. “I was feeling less than 100 today. Bad Cold. I prayed. Meditated,” wrote Winfrey. “Took every combination of lemon, ginger, honey, turmeric garlic, oregano oil known to womankind and then realized if @therock could still make it after burying his father this week, I was gonna be more than fine.”[video_embed id='1882661']RELATED: Dwayne Johnson responded to Ben Mulroney's tweet in the best way[/video_embed]Johnson spoke to Winfrey about his complicated relationship with his father, which wasn’t full of loving and tender moments. Instead, Rocky showed he cared by pushing his son to work harder. “I often feel that when someone passes, you now have an angel you can call by name,” said Winfrey, a statement Johnson agreed with. “The day he died, that night I went to bed, I felt so grateful and moved. Because I realized, oh wow, I have a new relationship with you. Clean slate. No regrets. No pain. No complications. Just me and you," Johnson said.

 

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What I know for sure is that when someone close to you passes, you now have an angel you can call by name. And now @therock and his father have a new relationship. Dwayne, thank you for being so at ease with yourself and being present during our conversation. Stream the entire interview on @ww.now’s IGTV.

A post shared by Oprah (@oprah) on Jan 30, 2020 at 4:58pm PST

Dwayne’s father Rocky Johnson was born Wayde Bowles in 1944 in Nova Scotia. He made his way to Toronto as a teen and began training as a wrestler while working odd jobs, eventually changing his name. Joining the WWE in the early 1980s, Johnson faced racism throughout his career and fought back, refusing to participate in offensive wrestling skits. Along with partner Tony Atlas, the pair became the first black team to win the Tag Team Championship in 1983. Rocky began training Dwayne in 1991, helping him to become one of the most famous wrestlers in WWE history and most successful crossover stars into mainstream media.

 

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I love you. You broke color barriers, became a ring legend and trail blazed your way thru this world. I was the boy sitting in the seats, watching and adoring you, my hero from afar. The boy you raised to always be proud of our cultures and proud of who and what I am. The boy you raised with the toughest of love. The intense work. The hard hand. The adoring boy who wanted to know only your best qualities. Who then grew to become a man realizing you had other deeply complicated sides that needed to be held and understood. Son to father. Man to man. That’s when my adoration turned to respect. And my empathy turned to gratitude. Grateful that you gave me life. Grateful you gave me life’s invaluable lessons. Dad, I wish I had one more shot to tell you, I love you, before you crossed over to the other side. But you were ripped away from me so fast without warning. Gone in an instant and no coming back. Im in pain. But we both know it’s just pain and it’ll pass. Now I’ll carry your mana and work ethic with me, as it’s time to move on because I have my family to feed and work to accomplish. Finally, I want you to rest your trailblazing soul, Soulman. Pain free, regret free, satisfied and at ease. You lived a very full, very hard, barrier breaking life and left it all in the ring. I love you dad and I’ll always be your proud and grateful son. Go rest high. #ripsoulman #rockyjohnson

A post shared by therock (@therock) on Jan 17, 2020 at 8:01am PST

The emotional and inspiring discussion between Johnson and Winfrey also featured a lighter moment near the end of the night. Johnson surprised known tequila lover Winfrey with the first bottle of his Teremana tequila, which is set to be released in February and is the first spirit available in Johnson’s upcoming lineup of alcohol.Winfrey took a moment to make a toast to Johnson’s late father, saying "I'd like to make a toast to your father, the man who helped make you the man you are.” As for the drink, Winfrey gave it a glowing review. Time to start a Tequila Club?

 

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I was feeling less than ? today. Bad Cold. I prayed. Meditated. Took every combination of lemon, ginger, honey, turmeric garlic, oregano oil known to womankind and then realized if @therock could still make it after burying his father this week, I was gonna be more than fine. You made it so, Atlanta. Thank you for feeding me with your energy. Thank you Dwayne Johnson for showing up and being fully present, open vulnerable, kind, and bringing me @teremana your BRAND new tequila. Here’s to clearer vision in 2020! ❤️? @ww.now

A post shared by Oprah (@oprah) on Jan 25, 2020 at 5:18pm PST

In addition to Johnson, Winfrey’s 2020 Vision Tour has already included interviews with Lady Gaga, Tina Fey, and Amy Schumer. The tour continues throughout February and into March with guests Tracee Ellis Ross, Julianne Hough, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Obama and BFF Gayle King.[video_embed id='-1']Before you go: Big dog gets stuck squeezing through cat door[/video_embed]