Actor Sylvester Stallone’s new tattoo tribute to the dog featured in the iconic “Rocky” movies obscures older ink honoring his wife.
Stallone, who has been married to Jennifer Flavin for a quarter-century, replaced the likeness of Flavin on his right arm with the visage of his old movie star sidekick Butkus, the Daily Mail reported.
The old tattoo depicts Flavin’s face near a rose, while the new one shows the face of his former canine co-star in “Rocky” and “Rocky II.” Butkus, a bull mastiff, reportedly died of a heart attack over three decades ago.
You can check out a comparison of Stallone’s old and new ink below.
The tattoo change comes roughly two weeks after Flavin posted a picture with her daughters alongside the caption “these girls are my priority ❤️ nothing else matters. The 4 of us forever🤍🙏🏻 #truth #family #forever.”
Stallone reportedly was spotted with the tattoo tribute to his wife three days before Flavin’s post. But on Aug. 16, a tattoo artist posted a tease of the new design on Instagram, according to the Daily Mail.
A Stallone spokesperson told the publication the new ink was just a tattoo update gone wrong.
“Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife Jennifer however the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable,” the spokesperson said. “As a result, he had to cover the original image with a tattoo of his dog from Rocky, Butkus.”
Stallone loves his family, the spokesperson added.