Rocky and Karate Kid Director John Avildsen Has Passed Away

Director John Avildsen, who directed Rocky and The Karate Kid, among others, passed away on Friday at the age of 81 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Paris Barclay, president of the Directors Guild of America, released the following statement: "His iconic Rocky ... has been lionized throughout our culture as the quintessential underdog story — a recurring theme in his notable body of work which included Save the Tiger and The Karate Kid franchise. Throughout the decades, his rousing portrayals of victory, courage and emotion captured the hearts of generations of Americans." Avildsen is survived by his sons Jonathan, Ashley and Anthony, and daughter Bridget. Read his full obituary at NPR.

The great director John G. Avildsen Who won the Oscar for directing Rocky! R. I. P. I'm sure you will soon be directing Hits in Heaven- Thank you , Sly

A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on Jun 16, 2017 at 8:00pm PDT

RIP to my friend and KK director John G Avildsen. He brought inspirational stories to us all and had a guiding hand in changing my life. pic.twitter.com/TRobJn3pq2

— Ralph Macchio (@ralphmacchio) June 17, 2017