Shortly before the match, Rocky and Clubber's entourages erupt into a pandemonium free-for-all backstage; Mickey, trying to break it up, is shoved against a wall by Clubber, and goes into cardiac arrest. Rocky attempts to call off the match due to Mickey's condition, but he refuses to allow Rocky to cancel the fight.
Fans were caught cold when the unthinkable happened and Mickey died of a heart attack in Rocky 3, but even if they (or Rocky himself) couldn't see it, the shocking moment was the best thing to happen to the franchise.
Mickey's Death Makes Adrian More Important To The Rocky Franchise. With Mickey's death, the torch can be passed to other important people in Rocky's life who can offer him guidance, like Adrian.
In Rocky III however, his headstone lists his date of birth as 1905, making him 71 in the original film. Furthermore, the headstone lists his date of death as 1981, which implies that he was 76; the same age he was four years previously (in the original film).
Mick's death not only serves as a moment of painful growth for Rocky, but it also works as a reason to bring Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed back for another movie.
Rocky tells his trainer that the fight ended in a second-round knockout but does not tell Mickey that he lost. Rocky then tries to convince him that they need to go to the hospital, but instead he keeps talking, some of his last words being "I love you, kid", and dies.
As Rocky is reluctant following Mickey's death, former rival, Apollo Creed, befriends and trains The Italian Stallion in his preparation to take on Clubber Lang. Talia Shire as Adrian Pennino Balboa: Rocky's wife and supporter throughout his boxing career.
This places the events in Rocky IV roughly five years after the end of Rocky III (which was set in 1979 and '80), and approximately 10 years after the original Rocky.
Fame and complacency soon cause Balboa to lose his title to young thug Clubber Lang ( Mr. T ), who inadvertently causes the death of Rocky's beloved trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), before their first championship bout.
In autumn of 2001, Adrian discovered that she was dying from ovarian cancer. She underwent chemotherapy, but it was not enough to save her life. Adrian died peacefully in her sleep on January 11, 2002, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, aged 51, with her family by her side.
In 2006's “Rocky Balboa,” Paulie is back where he started, working at the meat-packing plant, but he's laid off and loses his skepticism about Rocky's return to the ring and serves as his cornerman. Young did not appear in 2015's “Creed,” as Paulie is said to have died in 2012.
Rocky tries to retire again, and the audience sees how Paulie becomes increasingly jealous that Rocky has money and fame now. Instead of asking Rocky for a job like one usually would, he tries to challenge Rocky to a fight and tear him apart verbally while drunk.
The series has yet to specify Lang's fate: Clubber Lang eventually retired from boxing and according to Sylvester Stallone, Clubber Lang later became a born-again Christian and a ringside announcer.
Beaten, Rocky makes his way back to the dressing room and to the dying Mickey. Kneeling at his side, Rocky speaks to his friend, telling him that the fight ended in the second by a knockout, which Mickey misinterprets as a win for Rocky as he passes away.
Shortly after, Paulie passes away and Rocky's relationship with his son becomes strained due to Robert distancing himself from any contact with him, leaving him alone again. A few years later, he meets Adonis Creed, the illegitimate son of his old friend, Apollo Creed, who asks him to come train him.
Rocky again wears Apollo's stars-and-stripes boxing trunks. He succeeds as the film ends with Rocky winning the fight by knockout in the last round, with the Soviet premier and the Politburo looking on.
In the original Rocky, he is 30 (meaning he was born in 1945). In Rocky II, he turned 31. If Rocky III takes place three years after Rocky II, Rocky should be 34, which is exactly what age he is (as pointed out on TV). All of this serves to illustrate that the film is set in 1979 and '80.
Both fighters trade blows, before Balboa seizes an opening, unleashing a series of vicious blows, eventually knocking him out. Rocky gives a victory speech, acknowledging that the local crowd's disdain of him had turned to mutual respect during the fight.
Sage Stallone, Sylvester's real-life son, portrays his character's son in the film. In Rocky IV, he was portrayed as a nine-year-old child whereas Sage was 14 at the time of filming, making him a teenager in Rocky V, despite it taking place just days after the events of Rocky IV.
Lang is a professional boxer from Chicago, Illinois, and is a one-time world heavyweight champion, having taken the title from Rocky Balboa only to lose it back to Balboa in his next fight. The character is very loosely based on a combination of Sonny Liston, Larry Holmes, and George Foreman.
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers and Jimmy Gambina are all still living. Burgess Meredith (Mickey) died September 9, 1997 at the age of 89.
