Sylvester Stallone Reveals the 'Cold' Way He Was Told About the Shocking Death of His Son Sage
Sylvester Stallone has opened up about the death of his son Sage.
Sept. 29 2026, Updated 11:21 a.m. ET
Sylvester Stallone has opened up about his guilt surrounding the tragic death of his son, Sage, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In a recent interview, the Rocky star, 80, recalled the moment he found out his eldest son had passed away from coronary artery disease in July 2012. Sage had only been 36.
'He's Died. He's Gone. I'm Sorry'
Stallone was told his son had passed away by his mom's third husband.
Dr. Stephen Levine, his mom Jackie Stallone's third husband, was the person who informed him of his son's sudden passing.
"I'll never forget, it was so cold: My mother's new husband, who I'd never even met, who was a doctor, called me and goes: 'Sly, he's gone. Sage — he's gone,'" Stallone shared. "I went, 'Gone where?' 'He died, he's gone. I'm sorry.' Click."
Stallone added, "The thing is, you have so many episodes of guilt. Like: What could I have done? Should I have been there? What if I did that? If I went right or went left?"
A Heartbreaking Funeral
Stallone says he broke down a week after funeral.
The Hollywood superstar, who has four other children, said he managed to cope with his grief and keep his composure for the sake of his loved ones and so that he could plan Sage's funeral – but heartbreak finally hit him days later.
"Because of the funeral, dealing with the mother, dealing with your life in the present, it just takes you into a whole other world," he told the New York Times.
"You go: Wow, I’m holding it together. When’s it going to happen?" he continued. "And then about a week later, I was all alone in my room, and a wail came out of me I’ve never heard before or since. It was just pain and grief and guilt. It was not human. But all I can say is that he was a very kind kid. He had a great mother."
Starring Alongside Son In 'Rocky V'
Stallone cast Sage in 'Rocky V.'
"He would have done wonderful things in the future. I just had no idea that he had something that you would expect a very advanced adult to have," he explained. "But no, you don’t get over that."
Stallone welcomed Sage and his younger son, Seargeoh, 47, during his first marriage to Sasha Czack, 76, from 1974 to 1985.
Sage played Rocky Balboa's son Robert in the 1990 motion picture Rocky V.
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Sage said he bonded with Stallone during filming of the xxxx movie.
In Rocky V, Robert felt neglected as his father focused on mentoring young boxer Tommy Gunn, played by the late Tommy Morrison.
Speaking with People in 1996, Sage acknowledged the art-imitating-life aspect portrayed in the film.
"When I was screaming, 'You never spent time with me! You never spent time with my mother,' that was true," he shared at the time. "I was looking into my father's face and really saying that."
Sage said that "after the film, everything changed" with him and his father for the better, adding: "I got a lot of things out. We broke into tears a few times. We'd do anything for each other."
