Everything We Know About Sylvester Stallone's Late Son, Sage Stallone
It's not unreasonable to say that when it comes to being a father, Sylvester Stallone has been through incredible challenges. His second son with his first wife Sasha Czack, Seageoh Stallone, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a youngster. He believed he became a dad again with supermodel Janice Dickinson, only for DNA tests to prove otherwise. And his eldest daughter with third wife Jennifer Flavin, Sophia Stallone, had to undergo heart surgery just two months after being born.
But the biggest tragedy the "Rocky" star has had to deal with as a parent is the untimely death of his firstborn. In 2012, Sage Moonblood Stallone died at the age of just 36, leaving Sylvester grief-stricken: "Sage was our first child and the center of our universe, and I am humbly begging for all to have my son's memory and soul left in peace," he said (via Men's Health) in a statement issued shortly after his devastating loss.
So, what do we know about the man who twice appeared alongside his father on the big screen? From rebellious phases and cinematic aspirations to the various facts surrounding his untimely death, here's a look at Sage's cut-too-short story.
Sage Stallone is part of the 'Rocky' franchise
After making his screen debut in "Gorgeous Ladies of American Wrestling," the franchise promoted by his grandmother, Jackie Stallone, and later dramatized in the Netflix series "GLOW," Sage Stallone landed his first proper acting gig in "Rocky V." And his casting proved that nepo babies were very much a thing back in 1990, too.
Indeed, with little prior acting experience, Sage landed the major role of Rocky and Adrian's son Rocky Balboa Jr. in a film that, of course, was produced by and starred his father, Sylvester Stallone. But the Californian used the experience as a therapy session more than anything else.
In an interview with People six years after the film's release, Sage said that art imitated life when it came to filming a scene with his on- and off-screen dad: "When I was screaming, 'You never spent time with me! You never spent time with my mother!' that was true. I was looking into my father's face and really saying that. I got a lot of things out. We broke into tears a few times. After the film, everything changed. We'd do anything for each other."
Sage Stallone didn't see much of his father, Sylvester Stallone, growing up
Born in 1976, Sage Stallone grew up with brother Seargeoh "Seth" Stallone and mother Sasha Czack in Los Angeles, California. But due to Sylvester Stallone's thriving Hollywood career, and then his parents' divorce when he was 9, the youngster didn't have much of a father figure in his early childhood.
That's something which the "Rambo" star himself has expressed regrets over in recent years. In "Sly," the Netflix documentary about his life, Sylvester confirmed (via Men's Health) that the fractious dad-son relationship in "Rocky V" was grounded in truth. "I try to take something that actually is what I wish I had done in real life, but I wasn't able to do that in reality. And so quite often I would do it theatrically, magically. A lot of that is true. Unfortunately, you put things before your family. And the repercussions are quite radical and devastating."
The documentary also features a clip from the red-carpet premiere of "Rocky V," the 1990 sequel in which Sage and Sylvester Stallone replicate their off-screen relationship. As the Mirror reports, Sylvester remarks, "There's a line in the movie, 'I'm so glad he's born because now I can live through your eyes.' That, I think, is what fathers look to their children for. It's an extension of, a slice of immortality. As long as he's alive, your memory will always be alive, that you did something right. I mean, you hope for that."
Sage Stallone admits that fame turned him into a 'spoiled brat'
"I was an easygoing guy, and school was pretty much people trying to challenge me to a fight, y'know, saying, 'Rambo! Rocky!'" Sage Stallone told People in 1996 about life before "Rocky V." But that all changed when the youngster appeared in the 1990 film as Rocky Balboa Jr.
"To tell you the truth, I was turning into a little spoiled brat after 'Rocky V,'" Sage admitted in the same interview. "I was 15 years old, and I thought I was a big shot, like, 'Ay, alright, let's hit the bars, baby.' Trust me, old Daddy put a stop to that real quick." Sylvester wasn't averse to giving his son credit where it was due, though. Referring to their shared experiences on "Rocky V" in a 1990 interview, he said, "Now he can look in the mirror and say, you know, I did it. I'm not just a hanger-on, I'm not just a kid who's there who has no ability. I acted with my father and in some scenes I blew him away! Not bad."
And during an interview with British chat show host Jonathan Ross, Sly confessed (via BBC News) that he'd also let fame go to his head after gracing the first "Rocky" film: "I abused power badly. I read some of the interviews I gave now and wish I could go back and punch myself in the face."
Sage Stallone didn't think much of his uncle Frank Stallone's acting abilities
Sage Stallone could have taught a drag queen or two about the art of throwing shade. While being interviewed by theater critic Louis B. Hobson in 1996, the Californian delivered a masterclass in passive-aggressive insults, and his target was Frank Stallone, one of the other members of his famous dynasty (via Total Rocky).
Sage said, "They always wanted me to play a villain so they could exploit the Stallone name as they've done with my uncle. Uncle Frank is the king of those cheesy exploitation videos. It's a shame because he's an excellent musician." Miaow.
And Sage wasn't done there, adding, "When he saw his brother [Sylvester Stallone] become a mega-star, Uncle Frank took it as a challenge to do the same. By watching his career, I learned that you can't be big time if you try to do everything, but do nothing particularly well." Oh to have been a fly on the wall at the Stallones' Christmas dinner that year.
Sage Stallone rebelled against his father, Sylvester Stallone
Thanks to roles in the "Rocky" and "Rambo" franchises, Sylvester Stallone established himself as one of Hollywood's premier action heroes. But his status didn't exactly inspire his son to follow in his footsteps. Sage Stallone did everything he could to avoid going down the same path.
Speaking to theater critic Louis B. Hobson in 1996, Sage revealed that Sylvester tried everything to get him match fit: "My dad insisted on registering me in karate classes so I could defend myself. I hated it. I lasted barely a year and never got further than the white belt. He also tried to get me into sports but I rebelled there, too. It just increased the opportunities for physical confrontations" (via Total Rocky).
But the most insulting thing that Sage did, according to him anyway, was refuse to work out: "I ate junk food and avoided gymnasiums. That really ticked my dad off." By the mid-1990s, Sylvester was the one taking some familial inspiration. Referring to the fact that the Hollywood star had recently put on 30 pounds, Sage said, "I love my dad in this fat mode. He's friendlier, happier, and he looks like a real person. It's easier for him to accept the way I look."
Sage Stallone was a cinephile
Sylvester Stallone might not have been able to inspire his son Sage Stallone to hit the gym, but it does appear as though the "Cop Land" star's Hollywood career inspired his eldest son to embrace the world of cinema. After graduating from Van Nuys' Montclair Preparatory School in 1993, Sage attended the North Carolina School of the Arts to study filmmaking. But he was so keen to get on-set experience that after a year, he quit the course to head back to Los Angeles, California. He was serving as assistant to esteemed cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond on Richard Donner's "Assassins," the 1995 thriller starring his father and Antonio Banderas when he bagged a rare front-of-camera role in "Daylight."
Sage's lawyer friend George Braunstein later told People, "He was a very independent person and spent a lot of time on his own, writing and researching and watching movies. He knew everything about movies. The man was a walking encyclopedia of film. It was remarkable, even a little weird how much he knew. He could talk volumes about a movie you had never even known existed."
Sage Stallone co-founded his own production company
The year 1996 was quite significant for Sage Stallone. Not only did he once again share the screen with Hollywood legend father Sylvester Stallone in the action thriller "Daylight," but he also joined forces with movie editor Bob Murawski to co-create production company Grindhouse Releasing.
As its name implies, the Los Angeles-based enterprise specialized in restoring and distributing the kind of cult films that would have been shown in independent cinemas back in the 1970s and 1980s. Their releases included the controversial horror "Cannibal Holocaust," the spaghetti Western "The Big Gundown," and auteur Duke Mitchell's long-lost "Gone with the Pope."
Murawski has continued to fly the flag for cult cinema since Sage's death, and in 2015, the International Press Academy gave their physical retail treatment of the Burt Lancaster-starring picture "The Swimmer" a Satellite Award in the category of "Outstanding Overall Blu-Ray/DVD."
Sage Stallone became Vincent Gallo's muse
Best known for cult classics "Buffalo '66" and "The Brown Bunny," experimental director Vincent Gallo collaborated with Sage Stallone on numerous projects in the years leading up to Stallone's death. The pair first worked together on 2010's "Promises Written in the Water," a black-and-white picture about the relationship between an assassin and a terminally ill young woman in which Sage played a character called The Mafioso.
Shortly after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Gallo decided against a wider release and the film has never been screened for the general public. Sage also appeared as talent agent Ari Sheinwold in the director's 13-minute short film "The Agent" in 2010. But once again, only those who attended its festival screenings have had the chance to watch it.
In a 2018 essay for Another Man, Gallo paid tribute to his brief muse: "The world could spin for a trillion more years but there will never be another like Sage Stallone. He was the most original, funny, nutty, brilliant person I have ever met and I miss him so much."
Sage Stallone had one directing credit
As well as acting in the likes of "Rocky V" and "Daylight," giving lost gems like "Gone with the Pope" and "The Swimmer" a new lease of life, and assisting Richard Donner on "Assassins," Sage Stallone's resume also includes a sole directorial credit.
In 2006, Stallone helmed "Vic," a half-hour film starring genre regular Clu Gulager as a downtrodden actor whose attempt to climb back up the Hollywood ladder takes a turn after a mystery phone call. Also featuring Carol Lynley, Miriam Byrd-Nethery, and John Phillip Law, the movie was screened at various festivals, including the Boston Film Festival where Sage Stallone was crowned Best New Filmmaker.
"Vic," which Stallone also produced and made a brief cameo in, was the main reason why he didn't return to the "Rocky" franchise for its belated sixth installment. Indeed, the scheduling conflict meant that "Heroes" star Milo Ventimiglia played the titular character's son Rocky Balboa Jr. in the 2006 return-to-form.
Sage Stallone died at the age of 36
The Stallone family was left devastated in 2012 when Sage Stallone was found dead in his Los Angeles, California home at the age of just 36. Allegations flew that an overdose had been the cause, with several of Sage Stallone's close friends anonymously revealing to the media that he struggled with prescription drugs.
Understandably, Sage's father Sylvester Stallone was outraged about all the press speculation, telling CNN, "I am imploring people to respect my wonderfully talented son's memory and feel compassion for his loving mother, Sasha [Czack], because this agonizing loss will be felt for the rest of our lives. Sage was our first child and the center of our universe, and I am humbly begging for all to have my son's memory and soul left in peace."
Following a funeral at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Los Angeles a week later, Sage was laid to rest at the city's Westwood Village Memorial Park. Shortly after, his cause of death was officially confirmed.
Heart disease caused Sage Stallone's death
After weeks of speculation, a Los Angeles County coroner confirmed exactly what caused the sudden death of actor-turned-producer Sage Stallone. And contrary to all the media speculation, prescription drugs didn't play a part.
Toxicology tests proved that there was only a tiny amount of prescription Vicodin in Sage's body at the time of his passing, a level described as "sub-therapeutic." Instead, the coroner discovered that atherosclerosis, a major cause of heart disease in which the arteries are blocked with plaque, was responsible. According to his family, the "Daylight" star had been a heavy chain smoker for much of his life, although he'd made an effort to try and reduce his habit before his passing.
This wasn't the first time that a celebrity's death had been wrongly attributed to drugs. Both Brittany Murphy and Corey Haim were initially said to have died because of various substances before their coroner's reports proved otherwise.
Sage Stallone seemed hopeful for the future
Far from the troubled soul some media outlets purported at the time of his tragic death, in truth, Sage Stallone was loving life in the months before his passing. That's according to Mark Berry, a photographer who worked with the eldest Stallone on a shoot in May 2012.
Speaking to Radar Online, Berry, who was working for Girls and Corpses magazine at the time, claimed that Stallone was a picture of happiness before suddenly passing away: "I saw nothing to suggest that he was in a suicidal mood. He was telling me about how he wanted to shoot a film, he seemed hopeful for the future and making work plans."
Berry did, however, argue that there was some evidence of prescription drug use: "My impression was that he was a very talented character who seemed under the influence of a pharmaceutical medication, he wasn't a wreck but he was just a little spaced out. I wasn't entirely shocked when I heard [of his death], my initial thought was that he had an accidental overdose, or that his body just packed up."
Sage Stallone had major dental surgery weeks before his death
Just a few weeks before his tragic death, Sage Stallone underwent major dental surgery to extract five teeth. And he went against the wishes of his closest family member — his mother, Sasha Czack —by doing so.
In her first statement since losing her eldest son, Sasha Czack explained to the New York Post that she'd pleaded with Sage to space out his treatment instead of doing everything in one go: "I told him not to do that. I've heard about people dying having multiple procedures done to your mouth. Do not have more than one tooth [pulled]."
Czack, who divorced Sage's father Sylvester Stallone in 1985 after 11 years of marriage, also revealed that her son had been suffering from severe pain following the surgery. After being asked whether he'd been taking painkillers for the ordeal, she replied, "Wouldn't you be?"
Sage Stallone engaged to be married
One of the most surprising revelations that emerged in the wake of Sage Stallone's death was the claim that he was just days away from walking down the aisle. According to his lawyer and close pal George Braunstein, the "Rocky V" star was all set to get wed in Las Vegas, Nevada the following weekend.
Braunstein, who also told People that the bottles found in Sage's room weren't of the alcoholic variety, but simply contained soda, said that his friend planned to get married on the spur of the moment. But the lawyer, who'd known the film producer for 15 years, didn't give any details about the identity of the woman he wanted to exchange vows with.
No doubt that she was a lover of films, though. Referring to her grandson in a 1996 interview with People, Jackie Stallone said, "He's got all the compassion in the world. He says, 'Grandma, I don't want the kind of girls my father likes. I just want a girl who will sit and watch movies with me.' He'll find her."