Sylvester Stallone’s 1st wife pleaded with their son to skip dental surgery weeks before his death in 2012

Sylvester Stallone knows this pain directly - the famous actor suffered the loss of his eldest son, Sage Stallone, in 2012.

Few people realize that Sage's mother and Stallone's former wife, Sasha Czack, had urged Sage to skip a significant dental procedure just weeks before his death.

Prior to the announcement of the official cause of Sage's unexpected passing, many theories circulated - ranging from drug use to alcohol abuse to suicide. The actual truth proved even more devastating than anyone expected.

Difficult Youth, Challenging Adult Life

Sylvester Stallone through the years - ABC News (Source: abcnews.go.com)

The grief of losing a child represents an unimaginable hardship. Yet Sylvester "Rocky Balboa" Stallone faced difficulties even before the terrible loss of his son at just 36 years old.

Stallone's real life paralleled his famous Rocky Balboa character in numerous ways, which helped make him one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood.

Sylvester entered the world already facing challenges. His birth itself proved difficult. A complication during delivery damaged one of his facial nerves, causing paralysis in parts of his tongue and chin.

This specific injury created Stallone's distinctive snarl, which arguably helped his acting career - but as a child, it caused significant problems.

Stallone endured extensive bullying because of his facial appearance, and he described feeling like "Mr. Potato Head" with facial features in incorrect positions. His home life offered no refuge: his father was violent and his mother distant, reportedly kissing him only "twice" throughout his entire childhood.

Not surprisingly, Stallone became an unstable youth who often found trouble. By age 12, he had been expelled from 13 different schools and broken 11 bones from various incidents, including jumping off a roof with an umbrella.

Stallone eventually discovered bodybuilding, which led to acting. Before achieving fame, he struggled with poverty and experienced homelessness, sleeping at Manhattan's Port Authority.

During this difficult period, he owned just one coat to survive New York's cold winters. He later recalled in an interview, "That coat saved my life."

His life drastically improved after securing his role in the first Rocky film in 1976.

From Poverty to Prosperity

Sylvester Stallone Shares Rare Comment on Son Sage's ... (Source: parade.com)

Shortly before Stallone achieved fame and wealth, he married his first wife, photographer and director Sasha Czack. The couple had two sons together – Sage, born in 1976, and Seargeoh, born in 1979.

Sylvester and Czack ended their marriage in 1985. That same year, he wed model and actress Brigitte Nielsen. This relationship also failed, ending in divorce just two years later.

As the saying goes, third time's a charm. In 1997, Stallone married model and entrepreneur Jennifer Flavin. They remain together today and have three daughters: Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet Stallone.

A Premature Death

Sylvester Stallone's Kids: Meet His Children and Family ... (Source: www.closerweekly.com)

Stallone's life contained many ups and downs. However, no hardship compared to the loss of his firstborn son Sage.

A passionate film enthusiast and entrepreneur, Sage Stallone also pursued acting during his brief 36 years. He appeared in several movies with his father, including Rocky V and Daylight.

Sage established Grindhouse Releasing, a company dedicated to restoring, remastering, and preserving films.

On July 13, 2012, a housekeeper found Sage dead in his Los Angeles apartment. Theories about his cause of death spread quickly.

Initial confusion surrounded the timing of Sage's death, with some news outlets suggesting he might have been dead for several days before discovery. This claim was later disproven when evidence showed he had posted on Facebook just 17 hours before his body was found.

Additional rumors claimed Sage had a room filled with alcohol bottles, leading to speculation that drugs or alcohol contributed to his death.

Sage's longtime attorney and friend George Braunstein helped dispel these theories. According to Braunstein, while Sage did smoke and enjoyed candy and soda, he avoided alcohol. The bottles in his room were actually Dr. Brown's Cream Soda.

"Sage was a really young, very sensitive, and very talented kid. There has been no indication that there was anything wrong in his life," Braunstein stated, noting that Sage had no serious health issues or history of substance abuse.

The rumor of suicide circulating around Sage's mysterious death was eventually dismissed. Investigators found no suicide note, and the young man was planning to marry his longtime girlfriend.

"He was very creative, energetic and very full of life," Braunstein told E! News. "There was nothing dark or depressing, no problems, certainly no financial problems."

"The final cause of death has been deferred for additional testing," the coroner's office explained in a statement. "No results will be released until testing is complete—six to eight weeks minimum. LAPD has requested a security hold on further details related to the death."

A Parent's Sorrow

Sage Stallone Laid to Rest in Los Angeles (Source: www.eonline.com)

While speculation surrounded Sage's death, Stallone asked for respect and privacy for his family, stating that no parent experiences greater anguish than losing a child.

He urged the public to remember Sage fondly and to show empathy toward him and his former wife, Czack.

"I am imploring people to respect my wonderfully talented son's memory and feel compassion for his loving mother Sasha, because this agonizing loss will be felt for the rest of our lives," he expressed.

Stallone emphasized that as his firstborn, Sage occupied a special place in his heart.

"Sage was our first child and the center of our universe and I am humbly begging for all to have my son's memory and soul left in peace," he stated.

The Revealed Cause

Sage Stallone: Sylvester Stallone's Son Found Dead (Source: www.thedailybeast.com)

Eventually, facts emerged that Sage had received dental surgery two weeks prior to his death – despite his mother's pleas against it.

"I told him not to do that. I've heard about people dying having multiple procedures done to your mouth," she recalled. "Do not have more than one tooth [pulled]."

Disregarding this advice, Sage proceeded with having five teeth extracted. He subsequently took pain medication to relieve his discomfort, Czack revealed. Two weeks later, he died.

By late August 2012, authorities uncovered the truth behind Sage's death: Autopsy findings confirmed he died from atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries, which triggered a heart attack. The toxicology report detected traces of pain medication in his system, but ruled out an overdose.

Moving Forward

Sylvester Stallone's 5 Kids: All About His Sons and Daughters (Source: people.com)

Stallone described the waiting period for the cause of death as an "extremely difficult" couple of weeks and a genuinely heartbreaking time.

Stallone made efforts to return to work to help ease his grief and find as much distraction as humanly possible.

Today, he finds pride in his second son and three wonderful daughters, hoping that time continues to heal his wounds.

Indeed, the remaining Stallone family thrives. His second child, Seargeoh, who received an autism diagnosis as a child, has maintained a life away from public attention.

His daughters Sophia and Sistine host the "Unwaxed" podcast, while Scarlet works as a model and pursues an acting career.