Tony Burton | Entertainment News, Photos, and Videos

Sylvester Stallone is paying tribute to the late actor Tony Burton after he passed away earlier this week.

“Tony Burton who played the character of Duke brilliantly in all six Rocky movies… Rest in peace,” the 69-year-old actor captioned a screencap from the movie on his Instagram account.

Tony played the role of Duke, the trainer of Rocky’s longtime rival Apollo Creed.

Unfortunately, Tony was never able to see the new movie Creed before he died as he was too sick at the end of his life to watch the film.

Tony Burton, best known for his work in the first six Rocky movies, has died at the age of 78.

The actor passed away on Thursday afternoon (February 25) in California, his younger sister Loretta “Peaches” Kelley told MLive.com.

Tony was one of just four actors who appeared in all of the first six movies of the hit franchise. He played the role of Duke, the trainer of Apollo Creed.

Loretta said that Tony never received an official diagnosis, though he was in and out of the hospital throughout the past year. Due to his health issues, he wasn’t able to see the movie Creed before he passed away.

We send our thoughts and condolences to Tony‘s loved ones during this difficult time.