Robert De Niro pays tribute to Jake Lamotta

Robert De Niro has paid tribute to 'Raging Bull' Jake LaMotta who died yesterday aged 95.  

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. 

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. 

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.