Sylvester Stallone mourns death of 'Rocky' costar & 'friend' Burt Young

Sylvester Stallone spoke out following the death of his former Rocky co-star Burt Young.

The Oscar-nominated actor passed away earlier this month in Los Angeles. His daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser confirmed the news to the New York Times on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

Stallone – who starred alongside Young in a total of six films in the Rocky franchise – took to Instagram to express his grief over his demise.

“To my Dear Friend, BURT YOUNG, you were an incredible man and artist, I and the World will miss you very much...RIP,” he wrote alongside a throwback, monochrome photo of the pair on the set of the classic film in 1976.

Despite starring in several projects over the years, Young rose to fame for his role as Paulie Pennino, brother of Adrian, played by Talis Shire, in six Rocky films.

In a 2017 interview with Theater Mania, Burt reflected on his close bond with the Rambo star, after he offered him the part.

“Sylvester comes to me. He introduces himself. ‘You gotta do this part.’ I said, ‘I'm gonna do it,’ and he lit up like a pumpkin,” he recalled.

“We've been very close ever since. He's a friendly guy, Sylvester. Very intelligent, very quick,” the actor added at the time.