The Rock says thanks to Roddy Piper

In the sea of messages about Roddy Piper, Dwayne Johnson's stands out because - well - because he's one of the biggest stars in the world. But also because The Rock is a third generation Superstar who grew up in the business Hot Rod loved, who followed a trail blazed by a man who was known for talking first and work rate second all the way to Hollywood.

Here it is:

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Jul 31, 2015 at 4:36pm PDT

RIP legend. I first met this wrestling icon when I was 12yrs old when he was wrestling my pops the WWE. For weeks and weeks after that meeting I would have my mom set up a video camera in the kitchen as I would "become" Hot Rod and mimmic and emulate his every word, style, swag, heat, cool cockiness and all delivered with his classic smile (and my awful 12yr old afro).He was a huge influence on me as a kid and an even bigger one when I became The Rock in the WWE. Thank you Roddy for all the talks, all the stories (especially the crazy ones about my grandfather and grandmother ) all the advice and most importantly.. all the memories of you entertaining us fans. You're missed my friend. Heaven just got a lil' rowdier... Rest in love ~ DJ #JustWhenTheyThinkTheyHaveAllTheAnswers #HotRodChangesTheQuestionsIn