John Avildsen, director of ‘Rocky’ & ‘Karate Kid’ passes away

American film director John G. Avildsen, who won an Academy Award for directing 'Rocky' and directed the first three original Karate Kid movies, has passed away at the age of 81. His son, Anthony, told the Los Angeles Times that Avildsen died of pancreatic cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. As soon as the news broke, rich tributes poured in from the members of film fraternity. Hollywood actors Sylvester Stallone, 'The Karate Kid' actor Ralph Macchio, Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in four 'Rocky' movies among other celebrities took to social media and remembered the Oscar-winning director.