AceShowbiz - Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has broken his silence to share a touching tribute to his late father, wrestling pioneer Rocky Johnson.

The groundbreaking fighter, nicknamed Soulman, passed away on Wednesday, January 15, aged 75, and on Friday, his superstar son took to Instagram to remember his beloved dad, admitting the unexpected loss has left him "in pain".

He shared old video footage of his father in the ring, with a young Dwayne seated in the stands, and began with a simple, "I love you."

Celebrating Rocky's wrestling career, the action man wrote, "You broke color barriers, became a ring legend and trail blazed your way thru (sic) this world. I was the boy sitting in the seats, watching and adoring you, my hero from afar."

Dwayne went on to share his gratitude for being raised to "always be proud of our cultures and proud of who and what I am", before sharing his heartache at not having the opportunity to say one last goodbye.

"Dad, I wish I had one more shot to tell you, I love you, before you crossed over to the other side," he shared. "But you were ripped away from me so fast without warning. Gone in an instant and no coming back."

"Im (sic) in pain," the 47-year-old confessed. "But we both know it's just pain and it'll pass."

"Now I'll carry your mana (spirit) 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," Dwayne added. "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".

The emotional farewell letter to his father was praised by fans and friends online, with his comedy pal Kevin Hart commenting, "Love you bro," while actor Terry Crews added, "LOVE AND CONDOLENCES".