Sylvester Stallone's Eldest Son Sage Passed Nine Years Ago – A Look At His Life And Early End

Jul 14, 2021 by apost team

Sylvester Stallone is one of Hollywood's greatest action stars. The would-be actor lived most of his childhood with his family in Washington DC before attending university in Florida, then moving back to New York City. 

It was there that Sylvester tried to make his dreams of becoming an actor a reality. But his earlier years trying to make it in the industry were not easy, as he worked odd jobs and couldn't manage to get his big break. However, eventually, his determination and persistence paid off, when after writing the script for the film "Rocky" and starring in it as well, Sylvester was catapulted to fame. This led him on a course of becoming one of Hollywood's leading action men in the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, and even today, at the age of 74, Sly continues to act. 

But behind his tough-guy image, Sylvester is actually a big family man at heart. Married to his third wife, Jennifer Flavin, the couple has three gorgeous daughters who took after their parents' good looks. Sistine, Sophia, and Scarlet are now all grown-up and embarking on their own journeys as adults.

However, Sylvester has also faced deep heartbreak over the recent years after his son with his first wife, Sage Stallone, died in 2012. As a family man who loves all his children, Sylvester was hit especially hard by this devastating news. He skipped several promotional events for his film at the time, grieving his lost son. Sage's passing was swift and sudden, and rumors of the involvement of drugs quickly made the rounds. A police investigation finally cleared up what had actually happened.

Sylvester's romantic life was a popular topic in tabloids, with the media following relentlessly, keeping tabs on all three marriages of his. He married his first wife, Sasha Czack, in 1974 at the age of 28. They had two sons together, Sage, who was born in 1976 and died in 2012, and Seargeoh, who was born in 1979 and diagnosed with autism as a child. After 11 years of marriage, the couple filed for a divorce. Less than a year before their divorce was finalized, Sylvester married his second wife, famous model Brigitte Nielsen, although their marriage ended two years later. 

In 1997, Sylvester married his long-time on-and-off girlfriend Jennifer Flavin, a former American model, and went on to have his three daughters that he supports in their careers until this day.

However, despite his new relationships, Sylvester stayed in his sons' lives. By all reports, father and son had a close relationship. Sage graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School in Van Nuys, California, and studied filmmaking at the North Carolina School of the Arts from 1994 to 1995. Even before that, he had already appeared in front of the cameras once in 1990, when he joined his father Sylvester for the filming of Rocky V. He took on the role of Rocky's son, Robert "Rocky" Balboa Jr., however he did not return and reprise his role for the subsequent sequel. As Sage veered away from big movie roles in the future and turned his energies and attention towards directing movies instead, it's most likely that he found his place behind the camera instead of in front of it.

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Back in 2012, fans and followers of showbiz were shocked when the death of Sage Stallone was announced. There had been no news of illness or anything that even hinted at Sage's impending death beforehand. The young actor, who had started following in his father's footsteps and aspired to become a filmmaker, was only 36 years old at the time of his passing. He was found on July 13 by his housekeeper, who had arrived at Sage's Hollywood home to start work.

By that point, some friends and acquaintances had already become worried about Sage, as the young man hadn't messaged or contacted anyone since the last day, according to George Braunstein, Sage's attorney at the time. Even going just a day without being in contact with anybody had been unusual for the actor.

Sadly, it was already too late at the time the housekeeper arrived. Sage had already passed away, most likely three to four hours prior, as the coroner's report would later state. There were no signs of a forced entry or anything amiss, the police stated.
When it became known that prescription drugs had been found in Sage's apartment, the Hollywood rumor mill quickly turned to the idea that drugs might have played a hand in the filmmaker's early death. However, a police investigation and a coroner's report rebuffed these rumors. The prescription drug turned out to be a mild muscle relaxant and sedative used to treat persistent coughs, and only trace amounts of it were found in Sage's system. Instead, the coroner found evidence of a previously undetected, and therefore untreated, heart condition that caused a slow blockage of the arteries, leading to a sadly fatal heart attack.

It's always terrible for a parent to bury a child, but even more so when it's due to something treatable that was sadly noticed far too late. Did something similar happen in your life, or did a friend or relative narrowly miss this fate by luck? Tell us of your experiences.