Robert Downey Sr, father of Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. and famed actor and filmmaker in his own right has passed away at the age of 85-years-old. He leaves behind his son, daughter Allyson Downey, and wife Rosemary Rogers. The actor died after over five years of battling Parkinson’s disease.
Hollywood Legend Robert Downey Sr. Takes Final Bow
Lifelong New Yorker and patriarch of one of the most famous families in Hollywood Robert Downey Sr. has died in his sleep, his wife, author Rosemary Rogers, confirmed to The Sun. His passing comes just a few weeks after the Hollywood legend celebrated his 85th birthday.
Downey Sr. lived a full life. Born in 1936 in New York, Downey Sr. served in the Army, became a minor league baseball player, wrote a handful of off-Broadway plays, and was a Golden Gloves boxing champ, all before the age of 22, according to IMDb. Downey Sr. went on to prove himself to be an incredibly talented actor, director, and writer when he branched out into film during the 1960s.
He wrote and directed several classic films during that decade, including Balls Bluff, Babo 73, Chafed Elbows, No More Excuses, and Putney Swope. After his career began floundering in the ’70s, Downey Sr., like his son would in the future, turned to drugs to numb the pain. “Ten years of cocaine around the clock,” he told the NY Post in 2001. “I didn’t beat it until ’81, until my late wife gave me an ultimatum. I officially quit in front of my son. He keeps reminding me about it. I tell him, ‘If it made such an impression on you, then why can’t you do the same thing?’”
After battling and triumphing over his addiction, Downey Sr’s career experienced a resurgence and he appeared as an actor in such hits as Boogie Nights and, most recently, in Tower Heist alongside Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, and Casey Affleck. We extend our deepest sympathies to Downey Sr’s family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time.
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