Originally appeared on E! Online
Sylvester Stallone is honoring a friend who was always in his corner.
After Burt Young died at the age of 83, the "Rocky" lead paid tribute to his former costar in a heartfelt message.
"To my Dear Friend, BURT YOUNG," Stallone wrote on Instagram Oct. 18 alongside a throwback photo of the duo on the set of the 1976 film, "you were an incredible man and artist, I and the World will miss you very much...RIP."
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Young died in Los Angeles on Oct. 8, his daughter Anne Morea Steingieser confirmed to The New York Times. A cause of death was not revealed.
In addition to playing Paulie in the "Rocky" movies—a role for which he received an Academy Award nomination—Young was cast in several other films, including "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight," "Convoy," "Chinatown," "Once Upon a Time in America," "Mickey Blue Eyes" and "Win Win." He also made appearances on many TV shows—including "M*A*S*H," "Law & Order" and "Russian Doll."
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In 2016, the actor was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Long Beach International Film Festival, and Stallone celebrated the major moment with a moving message.
"I was very lucky to meet Burt Young in 1975 because this man is an anomaly—incredibly strong, brave, worldly, intelligent, artistic and insightful," he said in a pre-recorded video. "I guess that would certify him as a Renaissance man."
The "Creed" star then shared what it was like to work with Young on the "Rocky" movies.
"He brought such passion to the character of Paulie I thought he should've won an Oscar. It was amazing," he continued. "He would pull me aside and make suggestions. And he was very intuitive about dialogue and how to make the scene better. And he just brought an originality and a pacing—a verbalization, the way he phrased sentences that caused me to go home and rewrite everything. I just wanted to be the guy lucky enough to capture the essence of Burt Young on film, and I believe we did that for many, many years."
However, Stallone suggested it was who Young was as a person that he'll remember most.
"Burt, I love you," he said about his colleague, who'd also worked as a professional boxer and painter during his lifetime. "I love your work, your writing, your painting. And most of all, luckily, I never got punched by him because he's a knockout artist too and a knockout as a human being. I love you, Burt. Congratulations."
