A Windsor family is grateful for a video message from one of Hollywood’s biggest stars days before their loved one passed away.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson posted a message to Robin Payne, who also goes by Olivia, a patient of the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County.
Payne’s final wish was to meet The Rock in person. That never happened, but a message from the star meant just the same.
"I heard this really cool fact about you,” said Johnson in the Instagram video. “Your legal name is Robin, but you go by Olivia, but when your feisty side comes out, you go by Robin, which I don't want any part of only want the nice loving Olivia."
Johnson’s two-minute video has been viewed more than 13.5-million times.
“She was real,” says her daughter Tamara Payne in an interview with CTV Windsor. “She had a potty mouth. People appreciated that potty mouth and sometimes she really didn't put a cap on that potty mouth. We’re like PG-13 please, but she did not care."
Robin Payne was diagnosed with stage four cancer last December.
While receiving in-home care from hospice, her doctor found out she was a "super fan" of The Rock.
That's when Mike Bennett stepped in, reaching out to Johnson's people to see what could be done to make the last days of her life extra special.
"She and her family were so immersed in the moment there wasn't a lot of worry or thought about her diagnoses or what she was going through. It was just a beautiful moment in life," says Bennett, who is the coordinator of psychosocial services at hospice.
Tamara Payne says she told her mom he has millions of fans.
“I said ‘why did he want to talk to you?’ She was like ‘because he likes my attitude.’"
In the video, Johnson said "thank you so much for the love. I am sending you so much love and strength back."
CTV Windsor posted an article and the video to Twitter.
The Rock replied.
Payne passed away on Wednesday.
She leaves behind four children, nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren. The family is still working on funeral arrangements.
