Sylvester Stallone at 79: Why his latest appearance has people talking about his health
The legendary actor from ‘Rambo’ and ‘Rocky’ reappeared with a cane during a tribute from Donald Trump at the White House.
Sylvester Stallone, the iconic actor known for films such as Rambo, Rocky and Demolition Man, reappeared in public at the age of seventy-nine last Saturday during the Kennedy Center Honours, a tribute held in the Oval Office of the White House by Donald Trump.
He was recognised for his career alongside other prominent figures from American popular culture. However, the sight of Stallone leaning on a black cane throughout the event raised concerns about his physical condition, drawing attention to the toll taken by so many years devoted to action films.
At the ceremony, which also honoured celebrated names such as Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford, George Strait and the rock band Kiss, Stallone featured among the select group recognised for their contributions to American culture. The event was presided over by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who personally greeted the recipients.
After the formalities, Stallone posed for photographs with his wife, Jennifer Flavin Stallone. He wore a classic black tuxedo, an American flag pin and the Kennedy Center Medal around his neck. Yet what most caught the eye of both attendees and fans on social media was the black cane he relied on throughout the evening.
The man who once stood as one of Hollywood’s leading action heroes, alongside his former rival and now colleague Arnold Schwarzenegger, now shows, at nearly eighty years old, the consequences of decades spent performing physically demanding roles. Stallone has addressed this himself in recent comments, notably in an episode of his reality show The Family Stallone, where he spoke openly about the long-term effects of the toughest stunts of his career.
One such stunt, filmed for The Expendables, left him with a serious injury, including a broken neck. “I’ve done stupid things. I felt a huge impact and never recovered. After that film, I was never physically the same again,” he admitted. To treat the injury, surgeons inserted a metal plate into his neck to stabilise the damaged vertebrae, and he later underwent several back operations in an attempt to lessen the long-term impact.
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“Do not do your own stunts,” he said at the time, expressing regret for many of the action scenes he insisted on performing himself. His experience underscores once again why he remains one of the defining figures of Hollywood action cinema.
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