Tony Burton, who appeared in six Rocky films with Sylvester Stallone, has died in California at the age of 78.
Burton, who played Tony “Duke” Evers, Apollo Creed and Rocky’s trainer in the boxing movie franchise, had been suffering from health problems for about a year before his death, his sister Loretta Kelley told Michigan Live.
The character supported Rocky’s opponent in the first two films before later becoming the trainer to Rocky himself.
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Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the original movies, shared his condolences on Twitter, along with MGM Studios.
Burton, who was born and raised in Flint, Mich., is seen briefly in 2015’s Creed, but only as part of a flashback which used stock footage from an earlier film.
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Before going into acting, Burton won two Flint Golden Gloves light heavyweight titles in 1955 and 1957 before a short stint as a professional boxer.
The actor also appeared in The Shining, and he had roles on TV shows like The A-Team, NYPD Blue, Kojak and Twin Peaks.
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