Burt Young Death: Sylvester Stallone is paying tribute to his late Rocky co-star, Burt Young. Young, known for his role as Paulie, Rocky Balboa’s brother-in-law in the Rocky movies, passed away on October 8 at the age of 83.
On Wednesday, Stallone, aged 77, shared a heartfelt message on his Instagram: “To my dear friend, BURT YOUNG, you were an incredible man and artist. The world will miss you greatly… RIP.”
In Stallone’s post, there’s also a black-and-white throwback picture featuring him as Rocky Balboa and Young as Paulie in Rocky.
Young’s manager, Lynda Bensky, confirmed the actor’s passing to PEOPLE on Wednesday. The statement expressed, “Burt was an actor with tremendous emotional range. He could make you cry, and he could send chills down your spine. But the true depth of his soul is where his talent truly came from.”
The news of his passing was first reported by his daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, who informed The New York Times that her father passed away in Los Angeles earlier this month.
Born as Gerald Tommaso DeLouise, Young portrayed the character of Paulie in all six Rocky movies. Reflecting on how he got the role, the Oscar-nominated actor told The Sweet Science in 2009 that he was the only actor who didn’t need to audition for Rocky. He recounted, “I was on the MGM lot when Sly Stallone came over and introduced himself to me, told me he wrote ‘Rocky,’ and said, ‘you gotta do it.’ I wanted to do it right away but didn’t want to appear too eager.”
Young also praised the script, stating that it “had the cleanest street prose I’d ever read.” He went on to commend Stallone, describing him as “a genius who is always looking three years ahead” and having a keen eye for the world’s current events.
Young’s wife, Gloria, passed away in 1974, and he is survived by his daughter, a brother, and a grandson, as reported by The New York Times.
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