All About Sylvester Stallone's Late Mom Jackie Stallone

Jackie Stallone may have been best known as the mother of actors Sylvester Stallone and Frank Stallone Jr., but she also had her own exciting career.

She took on many different roles throughout her life, including psychic, wrestling manager and even reality star. When Jackie died on Sept. 21, 2020, at the age of 98, she left a lasting legacy.

Frank broke the news of her death, sharing a touching tribute on Instagram. “This morning my brothers and I lost our mother Jackie Stallone," he wrote in the caption. “She died in her sleep as she had wished. It was hard not to like her, she was a very eccentric and flamboyant person.”

Throughout her life, Jackie was regularly in the press and went on many talk shows, including The Howard Stern Show and The Graham Norton Show.

After her death, Stern remembered Jackie fondly, saying, “She was one of the greats of our show ... one of those people that would walk into the room and right away you were having fun. I know the boys loved her dearly."

Sylvester and his brother have opened up about their occasionally tough childhood due to their parents' busy careers and how they repaired their relationship with Jackie in adulthood. In his tribute to their mom, Frank wrote, "My brother Sylvester took care of her like a Queen for all of her life."

From her career to her parenting, here is everything to know about Sylvester Stallone's mother Jackie Stallone. 

She was married three times and had four children

Jackie's first husband was Italian barber Frank Stallone Sr. Together, they had two children, Sylvester and Frank.

After their divorce in the late 1950s, Jackie went on to marry Anthony Filiti and together they had a daughter, Toni Ann D'Alto, who died in 2012 from lung cancer.

That same year, Sylvester’s 36-year-old son Sage also died from a health condition. "She's too young to go, but she wasn't feeling any pain," Jackie told New York Daily News of Toni Ann. "What a terrible month. First Sage and now Toni. It's hard. At least they're together now in heaven."

Jackie and Filiti also divorced, and she remarried again to her final husband Stephen Levine in 1998 — the pair were married until her death. 

Frank Jr.'s Instagram tribute to his mother included a mention of a fourth child, Tommy.

She had a tumultuous relationship with Sylvester and Frank

In his 2023 Netflix documentary Sly, Sylvester shared that he was born with his “snarl” because his mother went into labor while riding the bus, giving him partial facial paralysis.

“Even though she was nine months pregnant, she kept riding around on the bus,” he said in the film. “She [went] into labor. Somebody was smart enough to get her off the bus, they carried her into a charity ward. And that’s where I was brought into the world via this accident which kind of paralyzed all the nerves on the side of my mouth. So I was born with this snarl.”

Later in the documentary, Sylvester and Frank also recalled their parents' turbulent relationship. “I’d be up in bed and you’d just hear them screaming and yelling,” Frank said in the film. The brothers spent much of their youth living in boarding houses instead of at home.

“The majority of the time, I was living in a boarding house,” Sylvester said in the documentary, “basically 12 months a year, never went home, because they just didn’t have time, they were both working.”

Frank also recalled growing up in a boarding house, saying, “I think they were both so self-absorbed with their own stuff that they just pawned us off.” Later on in life, Jackie and her sons' relationships mended and the family grew closer. 

She was an astrologer

Jackie was an astrologer and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, she even had her own psychic hotline for a short time. In 1989 she published Star Power: An Astrological Guide to Supersuccess. The book not only gave astrological advice, but it also offered Jackie’s personal readings of celebrities like Madonna, Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor.

Sylvester even gave the book his blessing, providing a promotional blurb. “My marvelous, extraordinary, irrepressible, unpredictable Mother," he wrote. "Considering that she has successfully predicted every major event in my life through her uncanny mastery of the ancient art of astrology, I can say this is one momma who really knows best."

One of Jackie’s specialties was practicing what she called “rumpology," self-defined as the practice of looking at the lumps, wrinkles and crevices of someone’s butt to gain insight into their personality traits and potential future.

In a 1999 appearance on So Graham Norton, the host asked Jackie about the method and she responded, “It’s the only thing you can take with you, and never leave it at home. You can leave an arm at home, a leg at home, do you ever see someone walk around without their behind?” 

Jackie remained physically active until her death 

Fitness was incredibly important to Jackie. Not only did she have her own exercise show on local television in the Washington, D.C. area, but according to USA Today, she eventually opened up a ladies-only gym in the city called Barbellas.

Beginning in 1986, Jackie started appearing in a series of Richard Simmons workout videos, Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes. In the series, Simmons would workout with parents of celebrities to help inspire seniors to exercise.

In the videos, Jackie was joined by Harry Hoffman (Dustin Hoffman’s father), Sal Pacino (Al Pacino’s father) and Pauline Fawcett (Farrah Fawcett’s mom). 

She was a manager for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW)

Long before GLOW became a hit series on Netflix, Jackie was living the real thing. She served as a promoter, manager and House Mother to the “good girls."

After her death, GLOW wrestler Angelina Altishin (a.k.a. Little Egypt) mourned Jackie’s death on X (formerly Twitter). “Oh my heart broke hearing of the passing of #JackieStallone. 98 years young and was still doing Pilates when we last spoke," she wrote. "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.”

She was a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother 

In 2005, Jackie was a contestant on the third season of Celebrity Big Brother in the United Kingdom. Her surprise entrance to the house was shocking and iconic to viewers because one of the contestants already in the house was Brigitte Nielsen, the ex-wife of her son Sylvester.

Though Jackie was only in the house for about a week before her eviction, she quickly became a fan favorite thanks to her bombastic and over-the-top demeanor. Throughout her time in the house, she asked Big Brother for champagne and wine at dinner and for a harpist to play for the contestants.

She died at 98 years old

On Sept. 21, 2020, Jackie died at the age of 98. Her son Frank was the first to break the news, announcing her death on Instagram. He shared a collection of photos throughout Jackie’s life and wrote, “She was a remarkable woman working out everyday full of spunk and fearless.” He concluded by saying, “We all loved her and her sprit [sic] to survive and prevail. I'll miss you always mommy."

Other celebs also mourned Jackie’s death, including former daughter-in-law and Celebrity Big Brother contestant, Nielson. The actress posted a photo of the two together on Instagram, writing, “Extremely strong, full of energy and very unique woman under so many aspects, till the very end. Emotions are running through me all because now you're gone and I didn't get to say goodbye. You'll be surely missed. Rest in Peace dear Jackie.”

Jackie was survived by her husband and her sons, as well as seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.