|
Jake LaMotta, the angry boxer played by Robert De Niro in the hit 1980 movie “Raging Bull,” died at 95. Before Rocky was “Rocky,” there was Jake LaMotta. The New York Post reminisced that there was “no fighter fiercer than the Bronx-born LaMotta.” Reports say Jake LaMotta succumbed due to complications from pneumonia at a nursing home in Miami.
Actor Michael Rapaport tweeted tweeted,, “Damn! The Raging Bull has passed. Jake LaMotta is gone at 95 yrs old. |
| On Twitter, Bronx Chronicle sports editor Rich Mancuso tweeted: “RIP to Hall of Famer and legend Jake LaMotta. Never will be another “Raging Bull.”
On Wednesday night, the New York Times wrote that Martin Scorsese based his film on LaMotta’s memoir. He had learned to box in an upstate New York reformatory and once defeated Sugar Ray Robinson. But he squandered his prize money, had a series of stormy marriages and ended up back in prison. |
| LaMotta had mixed feelings about the film. “I kind of look bad in it,” he told The Times. “Then I realized it was true.” |
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. issued a statement following the death boxing legend Jake LaMotta, who was a Class of 2003 Bronx Walk of Fame inductee.
“Jake LaMotta was proud of his Bronx heritage. Though he was certainly a troubled figure, LaMotta was an icon of his sport whose story was heard by millions. I wish his family peace during this difficult time.”
Follow Us