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A recent mix-up led many fans to believe the legendary actor, Sylvester Stallone, had passed away. The actor's name started trending online around late Monday. Several posts surfaced with "RIP" added before his name. Fans took to social media platforms to seek clarification on whether the 78-year-old actor truly died.
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Regardless of the initial confusion, Sylvester Stallone is alive and well. The death of funk music legend Sly Stone on June 9 created the misunderstanding. Sly Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, shares the same first name as the Rocky star.
Some social media users were even confused about Stallone and Stone's ages, the latter was aged 82 at the time of his demise.
Per Sly Stone's family statement, the frontman for Sly and the Family Stone passed away on Monday "after a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues".
As Sly Stone's death announcement made the rounds on social media, many initially misread the late singer's name and thought the posts were about the Rambo actor's death. In particular, a quote-tweet by Jon Heyman, a baseball columnist for the NY Post, left many of Stallone's fans distressed.
Fans of the Escape Plan actor told Jon Heyman about the confusion his tweet created.
Sylvester Stallone's death rumor is debunked amid Sly Stone's passing
News of Sly Stone's death flooded the internet late Monday. The Texas-born musician earned the first segment of what was later to become his stage name while in the fifth grade. One of his classmates misspelled his birth name, Sylvester, as 'Slyvester'.
Sly changed his last name from Stewart to Stone around the time he decided to compose his own music. His siblings, Vet, Rose, and Freddie, joined his band, Sly and the Family Stone. Vet was in the group for only a year. However, all of Sly's siblings took the last name Stone, following in his footsteps.
On the other hand, the actor who rose to fame with his portrayal of Rocky Balboa was born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone. The actor is often referred to as Sly by some, and his 2023 Netflix documentary was also titled Sly.
Sylvester Stallone's nickname might have added to the confusion after singer Sly Stone's passing. Regardless, this is not the first time the actor's death rumors have flooded the internet, leaving fans in shock. In July 2024, a Facebook post claimed the actor had passed away.
Despite these online speculations, Sylvester Stallone is well.
