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Adrian Balboa's grave at Laurel Hill
Intimately linked to Philadelphia, the character of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) has long walked the streets of the city and left his mark on fans. The latter never fail to pay homage to him at the foot of the steps of the museum where his statue stands. When Sylvester Stallone began shooting Rocky Balboa, the sixth part of the saga, it was again in Philadelphia that he set up his cameras. Now a widower, the famous boxer often visits his late wife Adrian at Laurel Hill Cemetery. A place where the director had an authentic tombstone installed.
In reality, two stones were made: one in a light material for the close-ups and the other in stone. It is in the southern section of the cemetery that the production team has taken up residence, also exploiting a tree in which Rocky hides the chair he sits on every time he comes. A tree that has unfortunately since been felled. The chair, however, was left in place, as was the tombstone. Visitors can still see it today and recall some of the most moving scenes from the saga of the Italian Stallion.
Back a few years later, during the shooting of Creed, the Rocky spin-off, Sylvester Stallone added a grave, namely that of Paulie, his mischievous brother-in-law, played in the six films of the franchise by Burt Young. It is not uncommon today to come across Rocky fans in the cemetery’s alleys, who have come to admire the funeral monument built in memory of the character played by Talia Shire.
Bill Conti, the legendary composer of the music for Rocky, worked on five of the six films in the saga. Present in the credits of Rocky Balboa, he did not contribute at all to the music of Rocky IV.
Laurel Hill Cemetery
Located in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia, Laurel Hill is the second largest rural cemetery in the United States behind Mount Auburn in Boston.
Laurel Hill was founded in 1836 on the east bank of the Schuylkill River. In the early years, the remains of several emblematic figures of the Revolutionary War were moved there to increase the prestige of the place. Thus, the body of Thomas McKean, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, is buried there. Over the years, several monuments of classical, gothic and even Egyptian revival style were built, giving the place a certain aura. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977. In 1998, Laurel Hill became the first cemetery in the United States to receive the title of National Historic Landmark. While it remains famous for having hosted the filming of Rocky Balboa, Creed and Creed II, with Adrian Balboa’s grave still visible between the aisles, it was also featured in the credits of the films Law Abiding Citizen and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
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By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.