LOS ANGELES: Sylvester Stallone denied Wednesday reports that he has hired a well-known private investigator to probe the death of his son Sage, according to the Hollywood actor's spokeswoman.

The TMZ celebrity news website said Stallone had brought in Scott Ross -- who investigated molestation charges against Michael Jackson and the Chris Brown/Rihanna battery case -- to look into his eldest son's death last week.

TMZ said Stallone had not ruled out foul play over the death, even though he has no evidence, and that he wants to know if his son was using drugs or alcohol in his final weeks.

But the "Rocky" actor's spokeswoman Michelle Bega told AFP: "I spoke with Sylvester Stallone .. Mr. Stallone has not hired Scott Ross to investigate the death of his son Sage."

Sage Moonblood Stallone, 36, was found dead at his Hollywood home on Friday. An autopsy was carried out on Sunday, but the LA County Coroner's Office said toxicology reports would take some 10 weeks.

Some prescription pill bottles were taken from the apartment but authorities have said little about the cause of the death. There was no sign of foul play or trauma, nor a suicide note, said Ed Winter of the coroner's office.

The young actor appeared in the 1990 film "Rocky V" as Rocky Balboa Jr, the son of his father's title character. The pair also appeared together in the 1996 movie "Daylight."

He is credited with 13 big-screen roles as an actor, while he was a producer on three films, including the 2006 short "Vic" which he also wrote and directed.