'Rocky' Star and Former Boxer Tony Burton Dead at 78

MStars News has learned that Rocky legend, actor and former boxer Tony Burton has died. Burton was 78 years old.

According to NBC News, Burton's sister Loretta "Peaches" Kelley confirmed his death and revealed that the actor died on Thursday, Feb. 25. Burton played the trainer for the fictional character Apollo Creed in the Rocky films.

Burton had been in and out of hospital before his death. He was never diagnosed with any official illness. Originally from Flint, Michigan, Burton was living in California at the time of his death.

The hit film Creed, which was released back in 2015 starring Michael B. Jordan, was the spin off of Rocky. Burton didn't appear in that film, but his character Duke was highlighted.

"There's a scene in the restaurant of that movie where his picture is on the wall," Kelley explained. "We didn't talk about ('Rocky') a lot. I mean we were excited, but other people were more excited. Whenever he would come home (to Flint) other people would just come over."

Burton, along with Rocky star Sylvester Stallone, appeared in all six movies of the franchise. News of the actor's death is starting to spread as fans and celebrities mourn.

@E_Woodyard @TheSlyStallone Sad news. RIP Tony Burton. His intensity and talent helped make the Rocky movies successful. #BePeace

— Carl Weathers (@TheCarlWeathers) February 26, 2016

Rest in peace to the great #TonyBurton a prime example of life is what you make it, not what you're given pic.twitter.com/bnUnkI0UOI — Shad Gaspard (@Shadbeast) February 26, 2016

#TonyBurton was a fantastic part of the Rocky series: such a noble, classy screen presence. He'll be missed. RIP pic.twitter.com/LCZ0RRCgvz

— Jonathan Sothcott (@sothcott) February 26, 2016

Rest in Peace, Tony https://t.co/l9pzR65eCc — MGM Studios (@MGM_Studios) February 26, 2016

Burton won two Flint Golden Gloves light heavyweight titles back in 1955 and 1957. After that, Burton fought professionally for a short period of time before moving on to an acting career.