Sylvester Stallone skips promoting 'Expendables 2'

Actor Sylvester Stallone will not promote the upcoming The Expendables 2 due to the July 13 death of his son, Sage.

“Something like that is so severe. You can’t really do anything. I sent him a handwritten note. I contributed to a charity for his kid,” said co-star Dolph Lundgren, who previously worked with Stallone in Rocky IV (1985).

Since Sage’s death, Stallone has not been seen in public at all. Sage died at age 36 and was found in his Los Angeles home, but no cause of death has been established. Father and son worked together in Rocky V (1990) and Daylight (1996).

“He is the leader of this group, both on-screen and off-screen. And so we miss him here,” actor Randy Couture said. “But we understand. We’re parents. We have kids. We can’t really imagine what he’s going through now. But what do you say? … So we’re giving him space.”

Co-star Jean-Claude Van Damme said: "All my love to [Sly's] family... it's very personal. He's a great guy."

The film, which co-stars Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Jet Li and Arnold Schwarzenegger, opens Aug. 17.