Tony Burton dead: Rocky actor passes away aged 78 after battle with illness
ACTOR Tony Burton has died aged 78, it has been reported.
Tony Burton has died aged 78
Tony - who played Apollo Creed's trainer Duke Evans in six movies of the hit Rocky franchise - passed away yesterday in California after a long battle with illness.
He is said to have been in and out of hospital for the past year, but never received an official diagnosis.
Tony's younger sister, Loretta Kelley, confirmed the sad news to Michigan Live.
His Rocky co-star Carl Weathers also took to Twitter to pay tribute to the former footballer player and boxer.
Tony passed away after a long battle with illness
Actor with Rocky co-star Sylvester Stallone
Tony Burton and Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV
He posted, in response to a news article: "Sad news. RIP Tony Burton. His intensity and talent helped make the Rocky movies successful. #BePeace"
Fans of the hit movie - starring Sylvester Stallone - have been taking to the social networking world throughout the morning to share their condolences.
One person posted: "RIP Tony Burton. Without him the 'Rocky' series just wouldn't have been the same…"
"Rip Tony Burton #Rocky," another wrote.
Sadly, Tony wasn't able to see the 2015 film Creed - which is centred on the son of Rocky's rival Apollo - due to his poor health.
Tony starred in six Rocky films
Tony played trainer Duke Evans
His sister Loretta said: “There’s a scene in the restaurant of that movie where his picture is on the wall.
“We didn’t talk about [Rocky] a lot. I mean we were excited, but other people were more excited. Whenever he would come home other people would just come over.”
Throughout his career, Tony also starred in films such as The Shining and Stir Crazy.
He had been living in California for 30 years with his wife Rae, before his death. His son, Martin, died of a heart attack at the age of 43 on May 8, 2014.