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Sylvester Stallone's memoir "The Steps" details hidden poverty, grief over son Sage

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In brief

Sylvester Stallone's new memoir "The Steps," published September 29, 2026 by William Morrow, describes his penniless years in New York before "Rocky" and the 2012 death of his eldest son, Sage. The actor writes that he showered in his clothes to save on laundry, was briefly jailed, and only confronted decades of suppressed grief over his son's death later in life.

Sylvester Stallone, 80, has published a memoir, "The Steps," that moves between his struggling years in New York in the late 1960s and his reflections, decades later, on the 2012 death of his eldest son, Sage Stallone. The book was released on September 29, 2026 by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Life before Rocky

According to an excerpt Stallone shared with Fox News, he arrived in New York City in 1969 with $60 in cash, of which $43.60 was already set aside for rent. He rented a small room he compared to the "minimum size recommended for a federal jail cell" in a tenement building where he shared a bathroom with ten other residents.

To avoid paying for a laundromat, Stallone wrote that he showered while wearing his clothes. He described his diet at the time as spoonfuls of cottage cheese followed by three or four raw eggs, adding, "I'm surprised I didn't get salmonella, really."

Stallone also writes about the creative struggle behind "Rocky," according to an excerpt published by CBS News. He recalls being broke while his wife Sasha was pregnant, and regretting having earlier sold the rights to his script "Paradise Alley" for $100. He describes late-night walks that led him to frame the Rocky character around the idea that "life is a fight from the day you take your first breath."

Reflecting on his mother and his son's death

The memoir also addresses Stallone's relationship with his mother, Jackie Stallone, whom he describes as distant. According to an interview with Ynetnews, Stallone recounts his mother telling him, "The only reason you're here is because the hanger didn't work," a reference to an attempted abortion. He says she pursued a series of careers but did not stay in contact with her children or grandchildren, and died isolated from him.

A central thread of the book is the death of his eldest son, Sage Stallone, who died in Los Angeles on July 13, 2012, at age 36, from coronary artery disease linked to atherosclerosis, as reported by Ynetnews. Stallone writes that he learned of the death while working on a screenplay, when his mother's husband, Dr. Stephen Levine, called him. Stallone describes the call, reported by both Ynetnews and RealityTea, as abrupt: "I'm calling to say he's gone," followed by what he characterized as a "cut and dry and unemotional" tone — "Sorry, gone. See you later. Bye."

What could I have done? Should I have been there? What if I did that?

— Sylvester Stallone, in "The Steps"

Stallone writes that he and Sage had reconciled after a period of estrangement that had been echoed in a tense father-son scene in "Rocky V" (1990), and that they grew closer before Sage's death. He states that seeing photographs of his son remains difficult, writing, "When you see a photo, it's rough. Real rough," and that grief resurfaced heavily later in life after being suppressed for years, a strain he says also affected his marriage to Jennifer Flavin before the couple reconciled, according to Ynetnews.

Family context

Stallone has another son, Seargeoh, 47, who has autism, and three daughters with Flavin, according to Ynetnews' reporting on the memoir.

Questions

What is the title and release date of Sylvester Stallone's new memoir?
The memoir is titled "The Steps" and was published on September 29, 2026 by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.
How did Sylvester Stallone survive financially before Rocky made him famous?
He arrived in New York in 1969 with $60, worked as a movie theater usher, cleaned lion cages at the Central Park Zoo, and cut lox at a delicatessen, while showering in his clothes to avoid laundromat costs, according to an excerpt he shared with Fox News.
When did Sylvester Stallone's son Sage die, and how?
Sage Stallone died in Los Angeles on July 13, 2012, at age 36, from coronary artery disease linked to atherosclerosis, as reported by Ynetnews.
How did Stallone learn about his son Sage's death?
He writes that his mother's husband, Dr. Stephen Levine, called him with the news while he was working on a screenplay, delivering it in what Stallone described as an abrupt, unemotional manner.
Does the memoir cover Stallone's relationship with his mother?
Yes, Stallone describes his mother as distant and recounts her telling him she had attempted to end her pregnancy with him, according to an interview reported by Ynetnews.

How the world is telling it

Sources

  1. Fox News — Sylvester Stallone showered in clothes to survive before Rocky fame
  2. CBS News — Book excerpt: "The Steps" by Sylvester Stallone
  3. Ynetnews — Sylvester Stallone opens up about his mother's attempted abortion and son's death
  4. RealityTea — Sylvester Stallone Recalls Brutal 'He's Gone' Call After Son's Sudden Death

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