Sylvester
Stallone handed over millions of dollars to his late sister at the
height of his fame after she blackmailed him and threatened to wreck his
career.
Stallone's
half-sibling, Toni-Ann Filiti, died of lung cancer last year at the age
of 48 and it has now emerged her famous brother handed her a
multi-million dollar sum in the 1980s and agreed to pay her a monthly
income and set up a trust to cover her medical expenses.
A
representative for Stallone has confirmed the payout and revealed the
money was handed over after Filiti blackmailed the star with a series of
false allegations of physical abuse.
The
spokesperson tells New York Post gossip column Page Six,
"Unfortunately, celebrities, politicians and athletes frequently find
themselves the targets of blackmail efforts by family members and
associates who fabricate claims in order to extort payments from them."
The
"Rocky" star's mother Jackie has also opened up about the alleged
blackmail plot, claiming Filiti was addicted to prescription drugs and
the actor was trying to help her.
She
says, "This was nothing more than a shakedown. Toni-Ann was on 65
Oxycontin pills a day, and she threatened Sylvester. A drug addict will
do anything. When Sylvester became famous ... He was trying to help her.
He caved in ... At the time [in 1987] he was very hot, and his lawyers
said, 'Give her something just to shut her up.'"
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