Burt Young, beloved for his portrayal of Paulie in the Rocky film series, passed away at 83 years old, reported his daughter Anne Morea Steingieser to the New York Times. Young, who appeared across a span of six Rocky films and worked with Sylvester Stallone, had an illustrious acting career with more than 160 film and TV roles encompassing renowned films like Chinatown, The Gambler, Once Upon a Time in America and TV series like The Rockford Files, Miami Vice, and The Sopranos. For his role as Paulie Pennino, Rocky's closest companion and the brother of his wife Adrian, Young received an Oscar nomination for supporting actor.

Colleagues paid their respects, with Stallone commending his former co-star on Instagram and mentioning the world will deeply miss him. James Woods, co-star in Once Upon a Time in America, highlighted Young's unique authenticity as an actor in a tribute, and Diane Franklin, who worked with Young in the supernatural horror film Amityville 2: The Possession, lauded him as "a beautiful, funny, talented man, with a deep soul." Young leaves behind his daughter Anne Morea, brother Robert, and a grandson; his wife Gloria passed away in 1974.