Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson may be one of the biggest stars in Hollywood today, but life has not always been easy for him. That’s why he’s always made a point of giving back to those who have helped him out along the way, and he did just that this past New Year’s Eve, when he gave a truck to the man who took him in when he was homeless as a teenager.
On New Year’s Eve, Johnson, 48, paid a visit to Bruno Lauer, a man who changed his life forever decades ago.
“My life (especially my teenage years) has been full of the wildest twists and turns – yet God and the universe had always found a way to put a few people in my path that would change the trajectory of the road I was going down,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “Meet one of my lifelong friends, Bruno Lauer — or I prefer to call him, ‘Downtown Bruno.'”
“My mom and I were evicted off the island of Hawaii and I was sent to Nashville, Tennessee to live with my dad,” the Fast And Furious star added. “When I landed in Nashville, I quickly found out I wasn’t gonna live with my dad. S*** happens, plans change and that’s the way it goes. Instead, I [was] told I was gonna live with a guy named Bruno. Who at the time lived in a tiny room at a spot called the Alamo Plaza motel.
“Bruno could’ve (and should’ve) said hell no, I’m not takin’ in some kid who I don’t know,” he continued. “But he didn’t. He took this punk kid in and we became lifelong friends. Then ironically – about 9 years later when I had the infamous ‘$7 Bucks’ in my pocket – I started my wrestling career in Memphis, Tennessee and AGAIN – had no place to live and Bruno took me and let me shake up in his trailer, til I could get on my feet. ”
And Bruno’s generosity did not stop there!
“And hell, when I was 15yrs old, Bruno even gave me his last $40 bucks so I could hustle a crackhead out of his car one night at a honky tonk in Nashville,” Johnson recounted. “But the hustle was on me, because when I took off down the road there was a SECOND CRACKHEAD passed out on the floor in the back! Wild times at 15yrs old.
“Merry Christmas, Bruno and since you helped me ‘buy’ my first car – I figured I could return the favor and buy you one that 100% does NOT have a crackhead in the back seat,” he concluded. “I love you, brother.”
Johnson posted this alongside video of him surprising Bruno with the brand new truck, and it’s sure to bring tears to your eyes! We could certainly use more celebrities like Johnson, a man who has never forgotten the people who have gotten him where he is today.
Check out the video for yourself below!
View this post on Instagram
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.