“You’re gonna have to go through hell, worse than any nightmare you’ve ever dreamed. But when it’s over, I know you’ll be the one standing. You know what you have to do. Do it.”
That was just one of the many inspiring lines spoken by Tony Burton while portraying his memorable role as Tony “Duke” Evers in the iconic Rocky franchise, and his work will continue to live on in the hearts of his fans as we mourn his death.
Sylvester Stallone took to Instagram to share a throwback photo of himself with Burton from the movie, with the message, “Tony Burton who played the character of Duke brilliantly in all six Rocky movies… Rest in peace.”
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Burton, who played a boxing trainer in all six of the Rocky films, died Thursday, his sister Loretta Kelley told CNN. He was 78. Kelly shares that her brother passed away in Sun City, Calif., and had been sick for a while, but did not give a cause of death.
The actor, who was an actual Golden Gloves heavyweight champion in his native Michigan at one point, first entered the legendary series as Apollo Creed’s [Carl Weathers] trainer in the first two films, before switching over to Rocky’s corner for the remainder of the films.
“Sad news. RIP Tony Burton. His intensity and talent helped make the Rocky movies successful. #BePeace,” Weathers tweeted.
Burton is survived by his wife Rae and his daughter Juanita.
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