Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has announced the death of his beloved French bulldog, Hobbs, saying the loss has left him “numb.”
The 52-year-old Moana star honored his faithful canine companion in a Monday Instagram post, writing: “RIP [broken heart emoji] Hobbs.”
Alongside a carousel of images and video clips of the two of them over the years, he added: “I’ve been numb over this loss, but we’re so grateful for every ounce of pure love he gave our entire family and we’re so grateful he didn’t suffer long as he quietly and bravely left in the night.
“Lately, there’s been a lot that’s too big to talk about. Lonesome, lonely, heard it’s all the same,” he continued. “One of my favorite songs felt appropriate here, as I wonder what’s going on his new world, because I know what it’s like in mine. Not sure how spirits work but come back and visit every once in a while so we can get in trouble and laugh again.”
Johnson adopted Hobbs and his brother Brutus as puppies back in 2015. However, Brutus died three weeks later after ingesting a poisonous mushroom in the family’s backyard.
“This mushroom happened to have a lethal toxicity and within hours it was rapidly destroying his liver and immune system to the point of no return,” he wrote at the time, warning fellow dog owners to be “mindful of mushrooms in your yards, parks or anywhere outside your dogs play. What looks innocent can be deadly to your lil’ family member.”
Named after Johnson’s Fast & Furious character, Luke Hobbs, the dog was later cast in the 2019 spin-off movie Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw as his loyal sidekick.
“As producer of @hobbsandshaw, I thought it was the right thing to do to actually cast my French bulldog in our movie,” Johnson said in a 2019 Instagram post, quipping: “Nepotism shmepotism.”
Touching on the sad loss of Brutus, he added: “Broke our hearts, but this little beast Hobbs goes on to live his best life daily and I’m quite proud of his performance in our movie.
“The biggest star the Fast & Furious franchise has ever seen and one bad ass sumb****.”
