There is no greater pain than losing a child, something Sylvester Stallone knows all too well. In July 2012, his firstborn son, Sage Stallone,

was found dead in his Los Angeles home at just 36 years old. The shocking loss devastated Stallone and sparked widespread speculation about the cause.

Rumors of drug abuse, alcohol, and even suicide quickly spread. But those who knew Sage best insisted otherwise. His attorney, George Braunstein,

described him as creative, energetic, and preparing to marry his longtime girlfriend. The “liquor bottles” reported in the media were nothing more than soda.

Suicide was ruled out, and while the coroner initially deferred the cause pending further tests, the tragedy left the family heartbroken.

Sage, an actor and filmmaker, had appeared with his father in Rocky V and Daylight, but his real passion was cinema preservation.

He founded Grindhouse Releasing to restore and archive forgotten films. Sensitive and artistic, he was remembered as someone “full of life.”

For Stallone, who endured a difficult childhood before rising to fame, Sage’s death was his deepest loss.

Asking for privacy, he said: “There is no greater pain for a parent than the loss of a child.”