Rocky statue finds home at Philly museum

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- About 3,000 fans gathered at the Philadelphia Art Museum to watch Sylvester Stallone unveil a statue of the character who made him a star, Rocky Balboa.

The Rocky movies also made the art museum famous when the fictional boxer trained by running up and down the steep steps.

Friday's event put a formal end to a long-running dispute in the city about the placement of the statue, originally a prop for "Rocky III," the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Immediately after Stallone gave it to the city 25 years ago, it was briefly displayed outside the museum before being moved to an athletic arena, the Spectrum. When that was demolished last year, there were months of debate about the appropriateness of placing a movie prop at a museum known in the art world for its Thomas Eakins collection.

None of that mattered to the fans. Jason Yun of Columbus, Ohio, slept in his car to be sure of a front-row spot, the newspaper said.

"I love Sly," Yun told the Inquirer. "He's my hero. He inspired me to change my life."