(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Sylvester Stallone says filming the final scenes for Rocky Balboa felt like the death of a brother.

The 64-year-old was thrilled to have one last outing as the legendary boxer for the 2006 movie, but felt emotional saying goodbye to the character once shooting ended. Stallone played Rocky in six movies spanning from 1976 � the first of which earned him an Oscar nomination - and felt a deep connection to the role.

�I remember the last day of filming on Rocky Balboa,� Stallone said in an interview with GQ magazine. �The sun was going down, we were back in Philadelphia, it was a terrible cold day, then it snowed like crazy and I ran up those famous steps for the last time, covered in sweat, and I thought to myself: �Here I am, in the city where I never thought I would emerge from, saying goodbye to the greatest character that anyone could ever dream of.� And I felt incredibly sad. It was like having a brother die in my arms.�

Stallone feels honoured to have been involved with such a successful franchise and credits the movies with launching his career � and reviving it. He is glad he decided to go ahead and make Rocky Balboa, even though many critics thought he was too old to reprise the role.

�That last Rocky movie is what brought me back,� he explained. �I�d become a punch line for every talk show host in America. I�d gone from Golden Gloves to Olden Gloves. And when I announced I was doing another Rocky film, at the age of almost 60 and after the failure of Rocky V, people thought I was crazy.

�I didn�t want to go out as the fourth lead in Spy Kids 3. Rocky made me, and in the end, Rocky saved me.� (C) Cover Media