She was a very strong personality and was the original manager and promoter of the show 'Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.'
The year 2020 has given yet another blow to Hollywood with the passing of astrologer, dancer, and even women's wrestling promoter Jackie Stallone.
A renaissance woman, she was the mother of the legendary actor Sylvester Stallone, famous singer Frank Stallone, and late actress Toni D’Alto. According to TMZ, the well-known personality recently passed away at 98, but the circumstances surrounding her death are still unclear.
Jackie was the promoter of women's wrestling and the reason for the inception of the original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) wrestling program way back in the 80s. She worked as the manager and promoter of the league, which was later portrayed in the hit Netflix show titled GLOW.
She was an astrologer, too, and was known for coining the term "rumpology," which includes reading palms as well as other parts of the body like the moles, dimples, skin folds, etc.
Jackie also appeared in a few seasons of Celebrity Big Brother UK edition after which she became quite popular among the comedians; she was also a favorite at Saturday Night Live.
While she succeeded in her career flawlessly, she struggled a bit at the personal front. It took her some time to find the one person she wanted to grow old with. She tied the knot with Frank Stallone Sr. in 1945 and had two boys, Sylvester and Frank. However, after spending 12 years together, the couple parted ways in 1957, reported The Sun.
Jackie then found her second mate in Anthony Filiti in 1959, and soon they were parents to actress Toni. They too didn't stay together for a long time; the year of their separation was kept a secret. And then finally in 1998, Jackie found her soulmate in Stephen Levine.
Even though Sylvester has not given any comments on the news of his mother's passing, his sibling Frank took to Instagram to convey the sad news. He revealed that she passed away in her sleep "as she had wished." He wrote, "She was a remarkable woman working out everyday [sic] full of spunk and fearless," reported People.
He continued, "It was hard not to like her, she was very eccentric and flamboyant person. She was born on November 29th, 1921 in Washington DC, she lived through prohibition, the depression, and World War II. I would talk to her for hours about the 20's 30's and 40's. It was a history lesson."
Complimenting his mother's acumen and the way she aged gracefully, he said, "Her mind was as sharp as a razor till the day she died," and added, "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 [sic] to survive and prevail. I'll miss you always mommy."
Jackie, like many other celebrities, was very active on social media and shared throwback pictures of her children and her tiny moments of happiness regularly. Being a fitness freak, she shared videos of her taking dance classes and pilates as well.
But her last post was that of her son, Sylvester, who looked as handsome as ever, chilling with his dog on his lap. She captioned the picture, "My son @officialslystallone with his dog Butkus." Back in December last year, she had shared a picture of herself next to a large and beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Captioning the picture, she wrote, "Sylvester sent me a giant bouquet of purple roses for Christmas." Scrolling through her Instagram, it becomes quite clear that she loved her children beyond words. Her picture gallery was a place where she captured and saved her precious moments.
As soon people got to know about the devastating news, tributes started flooding in for Jackie. Radio personality Flo Anthony wrote on Twitter, "TMZ is reporting that Jackie Stallone passed away at the age of 98. The mother of Sylvester Stallone, she was my mentor, my friend & play Aunt. I loved her & will always appreciate her love, friendship & advice. She was so fabulous & loved her children!"
TMZ is reporting that Jackie Stallone passed away at the age of 98. The mother of Sylvester Stallone, she was my mentor, my friend & play Aunt. I loved her & will always appreciate her love, friendship & advice. She was so fabulous & loved her children! pic.twitter.com/NplUykzoPW
— Flo Anthony (@banananosekid) September 22, 2020
Former GLOW wrestler Angelina Altishin, aka "Little Egypt," also took to Twitter to offer her condolences. She penned, "Oh my heart broke hearing of the passing of #JackieStallone. 98 years young and was still doing Pilates when we last spoke."
She continued, "What a fire [fire emoji] she would lite inside me each time we connected. She wasn’t just the mother of @TheSlyStallone she was our good girl manager in #glow."
Oh my heart broke hearing of the passing of #JackieStallone. 98 years young and was still doing Pilates when we last spoke. What a fire 🔥 she would lite inside me each time we connected. She wasn’t just the mother of @TheSlyStallone she was our good girl manager in #glow https://t.co/uaGq69UfkR
— Little Egypt ®™ (@LittleEgypt) September 22, 2020
Jackie is now survived by her husband, Stephen Levine, sons Sylvester and Frank, and three great-grandchildren.
References:
https://www.tmz.com/2020/09/21/sylvester-stallone-mother-mom-jackie-dead-dies/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/12733189/sylvester-stallone-mother-jackie-dead-98/
https://people.com/movies/sylvester-stallones-mother-jackie-dead/