Sylvester Stallone has paid tribute to his late Rocky co-star, Burt Young.
Stallone's tribute
In an Instagram post, Stallone shared a photo of him and Young on the set of Rocky. “To my Dead Friend, BURT YOUNG, you were an incredible man and artist,” the caption began, “I and the World will miss you very much…RIP.”
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Burt Young died at the age of 83-years-old. Before his role in Stallone's boxing franchise, Young starred in Chinatown and The Gambler. He starred as Paulie Pennino, brother of Talia Shire's Adrian, and portrayed the role in all six of the original Rocky films. His performance in the first film earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars.
However, Young didn't return for the Rocky spin-off series, Creed. He continued acting until his death.
Sylvester Stallone created the Rocky franchise in 1976. That launched his career into new heights as he would go on to star in the Rambo franchise and plenty of action films. Some of those included Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, and Cop Land.
In the 2010s, Stallone revived his career with the Expendables franchise. He wrote and directed the first film and continued writing and starring in the next two installments. Stallone would return in the fourth film, but only in an acting role. He's also starred in the Escape Plan series, Guardians of the Galaxy, and returned to the Rambo series in Last Blood. Unlike Young, Stallone did return to the Rocky series in the first two Creed films.