Rocky star Burt Young has passed away at the age of 83.
The Rocky actor's daughter Anne Morea Steingieser confirmed to The New York Times on Wednesday that the actor died on 8 October in Los Angeles.
Young is best known for playing Rocky Balboa's friend and future brother-in-law Paulie Pennino opposite Sylvester Stallone in all of the first six films in the Rocky franchise. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1976 original.
Paying tribute to his co-star, Stallone wrote on Instagram, "To my Dear Friend, BURT YOUNG, you were an incredible man’s and artist, I and the World will miss you very much...RIP (sic)."
Born Gerald Tommaso DeLouise in Queens, New York on 30 April 1940, Young began boxing in the Marine Corps and trained under the manager Cus D'Amato.
He later connected with acting teacher Lee Strasberg and trained for two years in the art, before appearing in the soap opera The Doctors in 1969.
Young, who mostly played Italian-American characters, also appeared in The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, Cinderella Liberty, M*A*S*H*, Chinatown, Once Upon a Time in America, Back to School and Last Exit to Brooklyn, among others. He also wrote and starred in 1978's Uncle Joe Shannon.
In addition to his daughter, Young is survived by a brother, Robert, and a grandson. His wife, Gloria, died in 1974.
A cause of death has not been disclosed.
