Rocky “Soul Man” Johnson has died. At this point, no cause of death was revealed for the 75-year-old WWE tag team champion and WWE Hall of Famer. The man also known as Wayde Douglas Bowies is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s father.
The elder Johnson married into the famed Anoa’i family when he said, “I do,” to “High Chief” Peter Maivia’s daughter, Ata Maivia. One of the Soul Man’s main claims to fame came when he teamed up with Tony Atlas. Known as The Soul Patrol, they defeated The Wild Samoans in 1983 to win the WWF tag team championship. They made history by becoming the first African American tag team to hold the prestigious titles.
Johnson retired in 1991, but continued to have a massive impact on the wrestling world as he worked with fellow WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson to train Dwayne inside the squared circle. The Rock went on to be one of the best in the game and then took his act to the big screen. So far, he hasn’t commented on his dad’s death.
Source: CBS Sports
