Tony Burton, who played Apollo Creed’s trainer in the Rocky movies, has died. He was 78 years old.
His younger sister, Loretta Kelley, confirmed the news to MLive.com. The Flint, Michigan native died in California on Thursday after being in and out of the hospital for the past year.
Burton was one of only four actors to appear in all six of the first Rocky movies, alongside Sylvester Stallone. Due to his health, he was not able to participate or see the latest addition to the franchise, Ryan Coogler’s Creed.
Burton was an athlete himself, playing football and baseball while at Flint Northern High School. He also won two local Golden Gloves light heavyweight titles in 1955 and 1957.
He turned to acting in the 1970s and starred in movies and TV shows. In addition to the Rocky movies, his credits include Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Hook and episodes of The Rockford Files, NYPD Blue, Twin Peaks, Frank’s Place, Sanford and Son and Good Times.
Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed, remembered his co-star on Twitter: