Sage Stallone's friend Stephen Wozniak sheds light on Sage's complicated relationship with his famous father Sylvester Stallone.
Stephen Wozniak, 41, claimed he struggled to “deliver the goods” for the Rocky and Rambo star.
Unable to cope, Sage sought solace in prescription drugs, chain-smoking and comfort eating.
Steve revealed: “Sage was not in the best of health and I think he felt the pressure. He wanted to make his dad proud. He felt the need to deliver rather than develop.
"It was such a huge shadow to grow up in. He was private and guarded. I’m certain he did spend time alone for weeks.”
The overweight, 36-year-old film maker was found dead in his Los Angeles mansion on Friday last week. He was surrounded by bottles of prescription pills in a bedroom that reeked of cigarettes.
Last night it was reported the room also contained bags of white powder. It has been suggested he lay there several days before his body was found by his maid.
Reclusive Sage suffered from depression and anxiety, his pal said. He would hide away for over a month at a time and hadn’t spoken to dad Sylvester, 66, for several weeks before his death.
Sage was born into a life of privilege. Sly was already a Hollywood lead and The Expendables actor is now worth around £175million.
When he was 14, Sage made his movie debut in 1990’s Rocky V, below. It seemed a glittering showbiz career lay ahead. Instead, he got bogged down by the weight of expectation.
He began to struggle.
Steve says his friend was taking anti-anxiety pills Xanex, Paxil and Valium. He had also had a lot of dental work done in the months before he died and was taking painkillers, too.
Steve admitted his friend’s lifestyle could have contributed to his untimely death.
He said: “He was very heavy, 50lb overweight or more. He ate incredibly rich foods every day. For him it was comfort food. It would help him relax or sleep.
“He kept strange hours — he would rise at 3am and go back to bed at 7am.
“He drank a great deal of soda, eight, nine, ten cans a day. Probably more. “He also smoked two to three packs of heavy-duty cigarettes a day. And I was aware of the prescription drug use.
“He had all the telltale signs of depression.” Sage was devastated when Sly and his mum, actress Sasha Czack, now 62, got divorced when he was nine.
Steve revealed: “He said many times he saw his father get irate, for one reason or another, to the point where it frightened him.
“I know he was bullied at school because of his name. They’d say, ‘Aren’t you a tough guy, too?’ I think he withdrew at that point.”
Later Sage became obsessed with dark horror movies. He met Steve in 2002 shooting controversial B-movie Chaos, which claimed to be “the most brutal film ever made”.
They filmed another sick flick, A Place To Die, in Sage’s LA home in 2008. Sage was, says Steve, keen to get back to work. Sadly, it was not to be.
An autopsy has been completed. Sly has hired top private investigator Scott Ross to look into his son’s death, although crime is not suspected.
Steve rules out any suggestion of suicide, believing the death was a tragic accident. And he insists that Sage had resolved many of the issues he once had with Sly. He said: “Like all young people who want to strike out on their own, he did have a period where there probably was some disdain “But he loved his dad and idolised him — more than people know.”Jacked from The Sun
4 comments:
Silvester Stallone, is the cause of his sons' misery and death, there is no getting around it.
S. Stallone has a BIG HEAD AND EGO.
SHAME on you Silvester Stallone, you should have been in your son's life.
Steve revealed: “Sage was not in the best of health and I think he felt the pressure. He wanted to make his dad proud. He felt the need to deliver rather than develop.
Anyone who blames a parent for the death of an adult, 36 year old man, is sick in the head. This was an accidental overdose. Ordinary people make terrible misjudgements all the time; they drive home from work when they are sleep deprived and crash their car into a tree and die; intelligent people have taken too many Tylenol and died, the list goes on. People that are honest with themselves know that we, and our kids, have all made bad judgements that could have resulted in death, it was just pure luck that we didn't die. It has nothing to do with the "issues" we have. Quit the Hollywood dramatizing, already!! Sage Stallone was just a regular person, just like the rest of us. He just happened to be famous. (So What!) That made him no less human. The ones who should be ashamed are the ones trashing Sage and Sylvester.
I am an educator and I can state that 90% of children's death for overdoses, suicides is due to family problems. Sage had become to struggle since his parents got divorced. Depression is a kind of sadness that worsens with the passing of the years especially for a very sensitive person and I think Sage was. He started starring and then as Stephen said "he got bogged down by the weight of expectation". I know a lot of parents who never praise, encourage their children and if they never do it if they never show their interest it is a real lack of love and affection which is very important for a child. A tranquil and a caring family is important. After his parent’s divorce he suffered a lot and I think everything started from there. In any case he grew up and wanted his father to be proud of him and it was not easy for him. I saw beautiful pic where Sage was about 14 and was with his dad. The pictures stopped at that age. Why? His death was a tragedy accident. Probably he did not know that he was not supposed to mix all those medicines. But why did he use to get all those pills? Was it just for fun? Come on! How about smoking? He gained weight and this is another sign of depression. Depression is caused by different reasons. Sense of loneliness, sadness, abandon. Stephen said " he saw his father get irate, for one reason or another, to the point where it frightened him" All this causes sadness. He tried to get back and work but he seemed unhappy. In my opinion Sage had to ask for help. I don't know if he did it. He seemed that he preferred to withdraw and be lonely most of the times. He died alone in his house. I wonder if someone got worried about him those days. He had been dead for 4 days. Did anybody call or look for him? He really needed a professional help. He could not manage all the situation alone. Hope what happened to Sage made think parents and families.I am also telling you my personal experience. Peace.
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