Sylvester Stallone blackmailed by his sister

Actor Sylvester Stallone handed over millions of dollars to his late sister at the height of his fame after she blackmailed him and threatened to wreck his career.

Stallone's half-sibling, Toni-Ann Filiti, died of lung cancer last year at the age of 48 and it has now emerged her famous brother handed her a multi-million dollar sum in the 1980s, reports contactmusic.com.

A representative for Stallone has confirmed the payout and revealed the money was handed over after Filiti blackmailed him with a series of false allegations of physical abuse.

"Unfortunately, celebrities, politicians and athletes frequently find themselves the targets of blackmail efforts by family members and associates who fabricate claims in order to extort payments from them," the spokesperson told gossip column Page Six.