Sylvester Stallone leads tributes with heartfelt message for Burt Young aka ‘Paulie’ after Rocky actor’s death
Sylvester Stallone was among many to pay their respects to Burt Young following the actor's death at the age of 83.
Young, who played Paulie in six of the original films, passed away on 8 October but no cause of death was given.
To my Dear Friend, Burt Young, you were an incredible man and artist. I and the world will miss you very much. RIP," Stallone wrote in a heartfelt tribute on Instagram alongside a picture of the pair.
Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the films, wrote on X: RIP, Burt Young! A beautiful and talented soul. He was such an integral part of the Rocky family. 'You want the bird? Go get the bird.' Paulie will be with us forever."
Many other fans posted clips of the actor from the films as they too remembered 'Paulie'.
Born Gerald Tommaso DeLouise in New York, he studied acting after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1950s.
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A boxer himself in his younger years, he gave up a career in the ring for acting, explaining in one interview: “I had a future, but my family didn’t want me taking punches. So I did what I could do and I put my own heart, my own needs aside. Of course I missed it. But it’s a hard sport to miss because who likes to get punched in the face.”
He did, though, dabble in fighter management, taking pro boxer David Sears, a long-shot from New York who is best known for his 1985 challenge of undisputed light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks, whom he lost to by third round stoppage.
Young became famous for his portrayal of Paulie, brother of Rocky's wife Adrian, with his performance earning Young an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor.
The original 'Rocky' about a small-time Philadelphia club boxer who gets an unlikely crack at the world heavyweight title, won three Oscars when released in 1976, including best film, while it made $225million at the box office – becoming the second-highest grossing film in 1977 after ‘Star Wars’, despite its actual release coming at the end of 1976.
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Young's other notable film credits include Chinatown, The Pope of Greenwich Village and Once Upon a Time in America, while he also made several guest appearances on television shows such as MAS*H, and Law & Order.
In his later years, Young made a name as a painter, with his works displayed in galleries around the world.