\nThere\u2019s simply nothing worse in life than losing a child, and this no matter what the child\u2019s age \u2013 whether not yet born or a grown adult.\n
Sylvester Stallone can attest to this first hand \u2013 it\u2019s no secret that the legendary Hollywood actor tragically lost his first-born, Sage Stallone, in 2012.\n
What\u2019s perhaps less well known is the fact that Stallone\u2019s ex-wife and Sage\u2019s mom, Sasha Czack, had insisted that Sage avoid undergoing a major dental surgery just weeks before he died.\n
Before the official cause of Sage\u2019s sudden and untimely death became known, theories were abound \u2013 people suspected everything from drugs, to alcohol, to suicide. But the truth would ultimately be more heartbreaking than anyone could have imagined.\n
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Experiencing the loss of a child is an unspeakable predicament. But Sylvester \u201cRocky Balboa\u201d Stallone unfortunately had it tough even before the unfathomable loss of his son, who died at just 36 years of age.\n
In many ways, Stallone\u2019s actual life had a lot in common with the legendary Rocky Balboa character that rendered him one of Hollywood\u2019s most popular actors.\n
Before he was forced to grow up tough, Sylvester was born tough. Greeting life was no easy feat, and he came out fighting. A problem during his delivery led to one of his facial nerves being severed, paralyzing a part of his tongue and chin.\n
This precise accident and its outcome is in fact what has led to Stallone\u2019s trademark snarl, which one might say in many ways contributed to his popularity as a public figure \u2013 but as a child, the impact was far from positive.\n
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Oh no! It’s BIRTHDAY time again! Thank goodness you only have to be as old as you feel! Hey, It’s OK to grow up, as long as you never give up \u2026\n
Stallone was heavily bullied for his disfigurement, and he has reported feeling like \u201cMr. Potato Head\u201d with parts of his face in the wrong place. To make matters worse, Stallone did not have a safe place to come home to: his father was abusive and his mother cold, only \u201ckissing him twice\u201d throughout his entire childhood.\n
Unsurprisingly, this produced a rather unstable kid out of Stallone. He frequently got himself into trouble. By the time he was 12 years old, he\u2019d already been kicked out of 13 schools and broken 11 bones for a variety of reasons, such as jumping off a roof with an umbrella.\n
Stallone\u2019s path eventually led him towards bodybuilding, and then acting. Before reaching his incredible fame, Stallone spent years barely surviving. He has spoken about experiencing homelessness, sleeping at the Port Authority in Manhattan.\n
During those tough times, he braved the harsh New York winters with just one coat. Reflecting on its importance in an interview, he shared, \u201dThat coat saved my life.\u201d\n
Things took a drastic turn for the good after he was cast in the first of the Rocky series in 1976.\n
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Not long before Stallone met fame and fortune, he met and married his first wife, photographer and director Sasha Czack. Together they had two sons, Sage, born in 1976 and Seargeoh, in 1979.Sylvester and Czack split in 1985 and later that same year, he married model and actress Brigitte Nielsen. That relationship would also unfortunately fail, and they divorced just two years later.\n
Third time\u2019s a charm, as they say, and in 1997, Stallone married model and entrepreneur Jennifer Flavin, with whom he is still married and shares three daughters: Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet Stallone.\n
Stallone\u2019s life, one might say, was therefore full of both highs and lows. But certainly no low could compare to the time he lost his first-born Sage.\n
A film enthusiast and entrepreneur, Sage Stallone, also dabbled with acting throughout his short 36 years of life. He even appeared in a few movies alongside his dad, such as Rocky V and Daylight.\n
Sage was the founder of Grindhouse Releasing, which worked to remaster, restore, and preserve films.\n
On July 13, 2012, Sage was discovered dead in his Los Angeles-area apartment by his housekeeper. Speculations about the possible cause of death began spreading almost immediately.\n
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