Tony Burton, ‘Rocky’ Actor, Dies At 78

Tony Burton, the actor who appeared in the first six Rocky movies, has died. He was 78.

Tony Burton Dead At 78

Burton passed away in California Thursday afternoon, his sister, Loretta “Peaches” Kelley, told MLive. Kelley revealed that there is no official cause of death yet and that Burton had been in and out of the hospital over the last year without receiving an official diagnosis. Due to his ongoing health issues, he was unable to see Rocky spinoff Creed, which came out last year.

In the Rocky movies, Burton played Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) rival Apollo Creed’s trainer Tony “Duke” Evers. Creed followed the story of Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan).

In addition to starring in the Rocky movies that came out between 1976 and 2006, Burton had memorable roles in Assault on Precinct 13, The Shining, Stir Crazy, The A-Team, NYPD Blue, Kojak and Twin Peaks.

Before Burton got into acting, he was a professional boxer after fighting as an amateur light heavyweight champion for several years. He was inducted into the Greater Flint Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.