Actor Sylvester Stallone released his first statement in relation to his son’s death on Monday morning. “The Expendables” star confessed that he is “grief-stricken” and requested the media to respect his wish for privacy, says TMZ.

Sage Stallone’s death has been subject to various analyses over the weekend, giving birth to numerous speculations. The grieving father was forced to release a statement in order to put an end to all the heartbreaking discussions. He told the press that both he and his former wife Sacha are “grief-stricken” by the death of their 36-year-old son, Sage, and kindly asked the media to stop the “questionable reporting”.

Sly further explained that there is no greater pain for a parent than that of losing his child. The fact that his son’s memory is stained by recent speculations is contributing to the family’s grief. The 66-year-old actor implored the media to respect his son’s memory and to show compassion to his former wife, Sacha, who is just as devastated as him.

Sage’s demise may be perceived by reporters and viewers as breaking news, but the family is going through a really difficult period. Sylvester declared that he will feel the “agonizing loss” for the rest of his life. The pain is even bigger given that Sage was his first child and “the center of his universe”. In the end, the “Rocky” star made another humble appeal to the press, begging people in the media industry to leave his son’s memory and soul in peace.   

Sage Stallone was found dead in his apartment on Friday afternoon. The first report shows that the 36-year-old actor died because of a prescription pills overdose. Investigators are making various suppositions in order to establish whether the death was an accident or a suicide. Although his family claims that Sage had no reasons to put an end to his life, his friends and co-workers told the press that the late actor wasn’t doing very well, lately. He shun away from his family and friends and spent most of his time alone.