Legendary boxer Jake LaMotta died on Tuesday and Robert DeNiro, who famously portrayed him in the film “Raging Bull,” shared a few kind words earlier today related to the fighter’s death.
“Rest in Peace, Champ,” said DeNiro in a statement. LaMotta died at 95-years-old in a nursing home due to complications with pneumonia according to his wife. Other family members told TMZ that the boxer’s condition deteriorated significantly during the past few weeks. He was on a feeding tube the past few days and kept trying to pull it out. The tube was eventually removed and LaMotta passed shortly after.
Jake’s wife issued a statement regarding her husband’s death. “I just want people to know, he was a great, sweet, sensitive, strong compelling man with a great sense of humor, with eyes that danced,” she said. LaMotta began his professional fighting career in 1941 and went 83-19 in 106 fights. He had a now infamous rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson that spanned across 6 fights. Jake only ended up winning one. A movie based on his life was released in 1980 starring DeNiro as Jake LaMotta. The role scored DeNiro the Best Actor Award at the Oscars that year.
Source: tmz.com
