See Sylvester Stallone's Heartfelt Tribute to Late 'Rocky' Actor and 'Dear Friend' Burt Young
Burt Young and Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone paid tribute to his late Rocky costar Burt Young with a heartfelt message.
Shortly after the actor's passing was confirmed, the 77-year-old took to Instagram to share his reaction to the saddening news. He wrote, "To my Dear Friend, BURT YOUNG, you were an incredible man and artist, I and the World will miss you very much...RIP."
Stallone paired his message with a black-and-white still of himself on the set of Rocky with Young, who played the titular character's best friend and brother-in-law, Paulie Pennino. The 1976 film gave Young his breakout role and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Stallone and Young last shared screentime together in the 2006 sequel Rocky Balboa.
In the mini-documentary Burt Young: An Emotional Library, which came out in 2016, the late actor detailed what sparked his interest in co-starring in the Stallone-penned film.
"I read the script [and] it was like a masterpiece in simplicity," he recalled. "It was half-character, half-reality, but it was very touching, very moving. It was like moving poetry, beautiful." He also noted that after praising Stallone's writing, the multi-hyphenate urged Young to take the role. He became the "highest-paid actor in the first Rocky movie—more than [Stallone] was."
Young added that he and Stallone "worked very well together" and "never had a harsh moment."
On Oct. 18, Young's daughter Anne Morea Steingieser confirmed to The New York Times that her father passed away on Oct. 8 at 83 years old. A cause of death has not been shared yet.
