Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson paid an emotional tribute to former WWE superstar Shad Gaspard, who died after being swept out to sea while swimming

• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has paid an emotional tribute to former WWE Superstar Shad Gaspard, who died this week after being swept out to sea while swimming with his son.
• Gaspard, 39 and his 10-year-old, Aryeh, were swept out to sea in a rip current on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
• Aryeh survived, however Gaspard's body was washed up on shore in Venice, California Wednesday.
• "This one hurts. Great guy," said Johnson on Instagram alongside a photo of him and Gaspard. "My deepest condolences and love to Shad Gaspard's wife, son and family."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has paid an emotional tribute to former WWE Superstar Shad Gaspard, who died this week after being swept out to sea while swimming with his 10-year-old son, Aryeh.

"This one hurts. Great guy," said Johnson on Instagram alongside a photo of him and Gaspard. "My deepest condolences and love to Shad Gaspard's wife, son and family.

"Shad drowned in the ocean, but not before instructing lifeguards to save his 10yr old son first. That's the love of a father. This is a tough one to process. Love and light to Shad's family. And your warrior spirit lives on through your son."

This one hurts. Great guy. My deepest condolences and love to Shad Gaspard’s wife, son and family. Shad drowned in the ocean, but not before instructing lifeguards to save his 10yr old son first. That’s the love of a father. This is a tough one to process. Love and light to Shad’s family. And your warrior spirit lives on through your son.

A post shared by therock (@therock) on May 20, 2020 at 11:37am PDTMay 20, 2020 at 11:37am PDT

Johnson added on Twitter: "My prayers and hope for Shad Gaspard's wife, son and family during this unthinkable time. Man, this is a tough one. A really tough one. Great guy."

Gaspard, 39, his son, and a number of other swimmers were swept out to sea in a rip current on Sunday, according to the Associated Press. NBC Los Angeles reported that the ex-WWE star had instructed lifeguards to save his son first.

Aryeh was rescued, however Gaspard was last seen about 50 yards from shore by a lifeguard, before a wave crashed over his head and swept him further from the shore.

Patrol officers were alerted at around 1:25 a.m. on Wednesday morning by a person reporting that a body had washed ashore. The body was later identified as Gaspard, and his next of kin was notified, according to AP.

Gaspard rose to prominence in the WWE as one half of the tag-team group Cryme Time, alongside his partner, JTG.

He retired from the WWE in 2010, however continued to wrestle alongside JTG on the independent circuit until his death.

Read more:

Tributes are pouring in from WWE stars following the death of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's father, wrestling Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson

A WWE Hall of Famer says he was left 'angry' and 'in shock' after Michael Jordan was 'very disrespectful' to him during an encounter at the 1992 Olympics

WWE fired dozens of wrestlers and other talent just days after a controversial decision deemed them an essential business in Florida and fans are livid with Vince McMahon

Read the original article on Insider