DALTON, Ga. — Following the passing of 7-year-old Gabriel “Tater” Singleton of Dalton on Saturday, actor and professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who had struck up a friendship with Tater through social media and visited with him earlier this year, posted the following message on his social media accounts on Tuesday:

“Many of you know the story of strong lil’ Tater who’s wish it was to meet me. Been sitting on this post for a few days now, ‘cause I wasn’t sure how to express it.. but here goes.

“We go thru life and work hard, enjoy some successes, learn from our mistakes, provide for and protect our families — as a man there’s some things I’m 100% certain of. Those are things I/we can control. Then there’s some things, as much as it pains me, we just can’t. I don’t know why this lil’ 7yr old boy was chosen to battle cancer. Fighting it hard core daily. Was it so his fight could inspire everyone around him? Was it (to) ensure we would wake up everyday with a greater gratitude for life and hug our loved ones that much stronger? I believe everything happens for a reason — but sometimes it requires us to have faith to look deeper to know what they are.

“A few days ago Lil’ Tater passed on, earned his angel wings and is no longer in pain.

“Our strength and love go out to Tater’s mom, dad and sisters whom I had the privilege of spending time with on our set of Baywatch. As a dad, I’d do anything to put a smile on my girl’s faces and Tater’s mom and dad did everything they could to make this little boy smile. He sure did and it was beautiful. And we all smiled with him.

“We can’t control what’s around the corner, but we can ALWAYS control our effort and how we choose to LIVE and LOVE in this unpredictable, crazy and amazing thing we call life. Effort is our choice.

“#LiveLikeTater (after writing this post I’m counting my blessings and motivated to be productive today and run thru a wall like a maniac. Which would DEFINITELY make Tater laugh.)”

 A service to celebrate the life of Gabriel “Tater” Singleton is today at 3 p.m. at the Church of God of the Union Assembly in Dalton on South Dixie Highway. Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Shawn Giles — Tater was an honorary deputy with the sheriff’s office and Giles was his partner — and Sheriff Scott Chitwood will speak during the service, which will be led by Lamar Bond and Jeff Wilson.