Rogan, aged 56, has often mentioned that he is the descendant of four immigrant families in the United States, with three grandparents from Italy and one from Ireland.
In a sit-down with filmmaker Sebastian Junger, who was discussing his book "In My Time of Dying" about near-death experiences, Rogan reflected on his cherished memories with his late relatives.
In the heartfelt exchange with the Oscar-nominated documentarian, Rogan reminisced about the final years of his loved ones' lives and how they had supported him through his early days in New York, following a childhood filled with moves from place to place.
"He was old and she was old; they were dying and I knew she was going to die probably quicker than him and it was this transition in my life from me going forth on this great adventure to seeing this man that I loved. It's darkness.
''I was very close to my grandfather. I loved him very, very much. I stayed with him when I moved to New York,"] he explained, as he told listeners of the impact of his family on the course of his life. ["I was 23 years old and I didn't have a place to stay, I didn't have any money...
Going into detail about the health issues that his grandmother faced while he was living with them, he continued: "]I was going to chase my dream so I was living with my grandfather and my grandmother had an aneurysm. They gave my grandmother 72 hours and she lived for 12 years."
''She was bedridden and I was staying with him and her and my grandfather had been dealing with his wife dying for all these years and she would moan in pain. You'd hear these sounds.''
The visibly emotional Rogan also remembered what life was like for his grandparents in New York as he acknowledged that their surroundings were sometimes far from ideal. In an honest admission, he said: "It was agony, it was depression. They lived in a very bad neighborhood.
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The passing of his grandfather also impacted Rogan's personal belief system as he came to put his faith in people having a soul after the death of his loved one. Recalling how he came to that conclusion, he said: "He's not there, he wasn't there anymore, he's not moving."
"I had this feeling of understanding, came across me and at that moment... I started considering a soul. I started thinking how arrogant it is to assume that you know more than, that all these people for thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of years people have talked about souls."
He added: "It's not a universal idea, it's not common to one specific culture... and I think it's something that we intuitively understand... It's intertwined with Consciousness. That's what I think, this is just my own feeling."
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