Sylvester Stallone’s Brother on Death Rumors: ‘These People Are Deranged’

Sylvester Stallone’s brother slammed reports that the Rocky star had died of a secret battle with cancer on Sunday.

Frank Stallone took to Twitter on Monday to denounce the false claims circulating on social media, posting a scathing rant against the “demented” individuals who crafted the lies.

“Rumors that my brother is dead are false. What kind of sick demented cruel mind thinks of things like this to post? People like this are mentally deranged and don’t deserve a place in society,” the 67-year-old wrote on social media.

He then took to Instagram to echo his thoughts in a video, calling those who have shared the false story “menaces to society.”

“Sly death a total hoax, not funny not cool,” he captioned the clip.

His rants came after an in memoriam-style graphic of the actor was posted on social media, reading “RIP Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (1946 – 2018).”

The false report reads, “SO LONG CHAMP. Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone died early this morning after his battle with prostate cancer… The actor kept his illness a secret, but in the end he couldn’t beat it.”

To make the rumors appear more valid, the posts included candid photos of the 71-year-old looking weak and with significant hair loss, but Frank assured fans that the photos in question were taken in the make-up trailer on the set of his upcoming film Creed 2.

“This picture was posted of my brother by the low life who said he was dead. This photo is from the make up trailer on the set of Creed. Who raised these cretans anyway that they would find humor in someone’s passing? This person… should be thrown off social media and locked up!” he wrote alongside a screenshot of the image used to declare Sylvester’s “secret battle with cancer.”

Shortly after Frank’s response, Sylvester took to Instagram to dispel the rumors by sharing a screenshot of the hoax, writing, “Please ignore this stupidity… Alive and well and happy and healthy… Still punching!”

He also posted a throwback photo from Rambo alongside the words, “Remember to always grab LIFE by the throat and do not let go until you succeed!!!”

Unfortunately for Stallone, this is not the first time he has been declared dead by social media, nor is it the first time that gullible fans have fallen victim to the hoax.

An initial ruse first surfaced in September 2016 when Facebook users reported seeing fraudulent messages claiming that Stallone had been found dead in his Los Angeles home. It was later exposed as a hoax after it was discovered that the messages were linked to a website notorious for creating celebrity death shams.