Robert De Niro has paid tribute to Jake Lamotta after he passes away at 95
- Publish Date
- Thursday, 21 September 2017, 3:27PM
Robert De Niro has paid tribute to 'Raging Bull' Jake LaMotta who died yesterday aged 95. Â
De Niro, who starred as LaMotta in biopic Raging Bull, remembered the boxing legend with four simple words: 'Rest in peace, champ'.
LaMotta passed away in a nursing home due to complications from pneumonia on Tuesday.Â
His wife Denise, 65, told TMZ: '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.'
The Bronx fighter had an incredible career, spanning 106 pro fights and winning a world middleweight championship, after he was rejected from serving in the military due to a medical issue in 1941.
The Bronx native earned the nickname 'The Raging Bull' for his rough style in the ring as a middleweight fighter.Â
But he's most famously remembered for his six-fight rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson although he only won one match. His brother Joey LaMotta was his manager.
Martin Scorsese's 'Raging Bull' tells the story of Jake LaMotta.
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