Sylvester Stallone pays tribute to Rocky co-star Burt Young following his death

'The world will miss you very much'

On Wednesday, Young's daughter Anne Morea Steingieser told the New York Times that her father had passed away at the age of 83.

The veteran actor was best known of his role in the Rocky franchise as the boxer's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie.

Young appeared in all six of the original Rocky films and sequels, earning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for his performance in the first Rocky film.

Following the news of his passing, Sylvester Stallone, who of course played Rocky himself, has paid tribute to Young on social media.

“To my dear friend Burt Young, you were an incredible man and artist, I and the world will miss you very much," he wrote on Instagram.

In Rocky, Paulie works as a butcher, and gets to know Stallone's character when the boxer makes punching meat carcasses part of his training routine.

He is also the brother to Adrian, Rocky's love interest who he ends up marrying in Rocky II.

Along with his Rocky role, Young appeared in films such as Chinatown, The Pope of Greenwich Village and Once Upon a Time in America.

He also appeared in a number of television series, such as M*A*S*H, The Rockford Files, Baretta and Law & Order.

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