“Sage was our first child and the center of our universe and I am humbly begging for all to have my son’s memory and soul left in peace,” he said.

The Truth Unveiled

Eventually it was revealed that Sage had undergone dental surgery two weeks before dying – despite his mother begging him not to.

“I told him not to do that. I’ve heard about people dying having multiple procedures done to your mouth,” she said. “Do not have more than one tooth [pulled].”

Despite this, Sage went ahead and had five teeth removed. He subsequently took painkillers to ease his discomfort, Czack said. Two weeks later, he was dead.

In late August 2012, the truth behind Sage’s death was finally revealed: Autopsy reports confirmed that Sage died of atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries, which brought on a heart attack. The toxicology report showed there were traces of pain medication in his system, but no overdose had occurred.

The Way Forward

Stallone described the wait for the cause of death as a “very tough” couple of weeks and a truly grief-stricken time.