Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone’s mother, “Celebrity Big Brother” star Jackie Stallone, has died at the age of 98. Sylvester’s younger brother, musician Frank Stallone, shared the news of their mother’s demise in a lengthy tribute post on Instagram on Monday. “This morning my brothers and I lost our mother Jackie Stallone. She was the mother to four children, Tommy, Sylvester, Frankie and my late sister Toni Ann.
She was a remarkable woman working out everyday full of spunk and fearless. She died in her sleep as she had wished. It was hard not to like her, she was very eccentric and flamboyant person,” Frank wrote alongside a series of photographs of Jackie.
“My brother Sylvester took care of her like a Queen for all of her life. I will never be able to call my mom again or have her yell at me why I never got married. But we all loved her and her sprit to survive and prevail. I’ll miss you always mommy,” he added.
Born as Jacqueline Frances Labofish on November 29, 1921, Jackie ran away from her home in Washington DC to join circus and worked there for two years before taking up a job as a chorus girl on Broadway.
Jackie married her first husband Frank Stallone Sr, a hairdresser and occasional actor, in 1945. They were together for 12 years and had two sons Sylvester and Frank.
She also had a daughter, Toni D’Alto, during her second marriage to Anthony Filiti. D’Alto died of lung cancer in 2012 at the age of 48.
She tied the knot with her third husband, Stephen Devine in 1998.
In 2005, Jackie appeared on the UK version of “Celebrity Big Brother” and despite being evicted from the house after just four days, she became one of the show’s most loved contestants.
Jackie is also survived by seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.