In a 2013 interview with Time, the actor recalled reading La Motta’s memoir for the first time and being moved by his story. Though Scorsese directed the movie, it was De Niro’s idea to make the film-to the point where it became his obsession. Addeddate 14:00:11 Identifier raging-bull-1980 Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.6.4. To boxing and film fans, La Motta will forever be known as the Raging Bull, an unforgettable fighter and subject of the eponymous black-and-white drama, which starred a young De Niro as the hotheaded champ.
In a short statement, Robert De Niro acknowledged La Motta’s passing: “Rest in Peace, Champ.” “I just want people to know, he was a great, sweet, sensitive, strong, compelling man with a great sense of humor, with eyes that danced,” she told the outlet.
TMZ first reported the news on Wednesday, revealing that the boxer’s wife said he died in a nursing home due to complications from pneumonia.
Jack La Motta, the fiery boxer whose life story was immortalized in the 1980 Martin Scorsese-directed film Raging Bull, has died.