“Yo, Adrian!”
Famed “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, celebrated his 80th birthday on Monday, July 7.
His wife, Jennifer Flavin-Stallone, 57, shared a tribute on Instagram, calling the Hollywood legend “the love of my life.”
“Happy 80th Birthday my love! ❤️ Since the day I met you in 1988, you’ve always been the love of my life. Thank you for giving me the most beautiful family and home. Can’t wait to celebrate you forever! I love you! ❤️,” she captioned the photo carousel.
To honor her husband of 29 years, Jennifer shared throwback photos of their family, including the couple on their wedding day, memories from their early years together, and moments with their three daughters. Sophia, 29, Sistine, 28, and Scarlet, 24.
Sylvester Stallone’s Humble Beginnings
Sylvester, a once aspiring actor, changed the trajectory of his life by writing the screenplay for “Rocky” after drawing inspiration from watching Muhammad Ali defeat Chuck Wepner in the 15th round of their 1975 boxing match at the Richfield Coliseum in Ohio, Forbes reported.
The critically acclaimed actor went on to write six of the eight franchise films before the storyline was developed into “Creed,” a three-film spinoff, following the son of Rocky Balboa’s rival, Apollo Creed.
One year after he wrote the first “Rocky” film in 1974, Sylvester married his first wife, Sasha Czack. The pair divorced after 11 years in 1985, PEOPLE reported. They welcomed two sons, Sage, who passed away in 2012 at the age of 36, and Seargeoh, 47.
“The Expendables” actor went on to marry his second wife, Danish actress Brigette Nielson, in 1985 before divorcing two years later in 1987.
Sylvester met his now-wife in a chance encounter at a Hollywood restaurant in 1988, PEOPLE reported.
“I remember vividly the first time I met Jennifer,” Sylvester recalled during an episode of “The Family Stallone,” adding, “I was in this dark restaurant, a few people. She came in, and whoa! Something happened. I just felt, like, this jolt, like — ‘Oh, did we just have a minor earthquake or something?'”
Sylvestor Stallone’s 1994 Breakup Letter to Wife Jennfer Flavin-Stallone
Despite their fruitful marriage, Sylvestor opened up to Sean Hannity in 2024 about a breakup letter he once FedExed to Jennifer, admitting that he felt like a “coward” for not ending their relationship in person.
“That’s the most insincere breakup you can get,” he said of the 1994 letter. “You put it down in words ‘cause you don’t have the guts to do it face-to-face.'”
Jennifer once joked about the breakup in an interview with PEOPLE. “He sent me a six-page handwritten letter in pen. It was pretty sloppy,” she shared. “You can’t just write somebody off in a letter after six years. It’s not like I was going to try to beg him to come back to me or anything. I just wanted to talk.”
Sylvestor and Jennifer rekindled their romance one year after their breakup, PEOPLE reported. They went on to get married in May 1997 in a civil ceremony held at The Dorchester Hotel, London. The couple had a second ceremony at the chapel located in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.
