Paulie, Rocky Balboa’s best buddy and brother-in-law, was portrayed by Young alongside Stallone. Sylvester Stallone is honoring the memory of Burt Young, his late Rocky co-star. Young, who portrayed Paulie, Rocky Balboa’s in-law, in the Rocky flicks, passed away on October 8 at the age of 83. On Wednesday, Stallone, 77, said on Instagram, “To my Dear Friend, BURT YOUNG.” You were a remarkable man and artist, and I and the rest of the world will miss you dearly. R.I.P. In addition, Stallone’s post featured a vintage photo of him as Rocky Balboa and Young as Paulie in Rocky. Never miss a story again; subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to receive the best of the magazine’s content, including juicy celebrity news and gripping human interest tales.
https://www.instagram.com/officialslystallone/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=49f804c2-dd53-4edd-bc90-86f060a54cb8
Young’s manager, Lynda Bensky, told PEOPLE on Wednesday that the actor had passed away. “Burt had a wide variety of emotions as an actor. He might frighten you to death and make you cry, the statement said. “But the poignancy of his spirit was the actual pathos I felt. That’s where it originated. His daughter Anne Morea Steingieser, who told The New York Times that her father passed away in Los Angeles earlier this month, was the first to confirm the celebrity’s passing. Young, who was born Gerald Tommaso DeLouise, portrayed Paulie in each of the six Rocky movies. The Oscar-nominated actor revealed to The Sweet Science in 2009 that he was the only actor who didn’t have to go through the Rocky audition process for his role. Sly Stallone approached me while I was on the MGM lot, told me he authored “Rocky,” and told me, “You gotta do it,” according to Young. I wanted to do it straight away, but I also wanted to give them a slight arm twist to avoid coming off as overly eager. The script, Young continued, “had the cleanest street prose I’d ever read.” Stallone, he continued, was “a genius who is always looking three years ahead.” “He has a real eyeball for what’s going on in the world,” Young continued. According to The New York Times, Young’s wife Gloria passed away in 1974, and he is survived by a daughter, a brother, and a grandchild.
