“A truly remarkable man … universally loved,” expressed Sandler, as colleagues from Star Wars, Happy Gilmore, and Predator share their thoughts after the passing of actor Carl Weathers. Heartfelt tributes are flooding in for the cherished actor Carl Weathers following his demise at the age of 76.
As per his family, Weathers – best known for portraying Apollo Creed in the Rocky films – “passed away peacefully in his sleep” on Thursday, February 1.
“Carl was an exceptional human being who led an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts, and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations,” conveyed his family in a statement. “He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.”
He is survived by his ex-wife Mary Ann and their two sons, Matthew and Jason.
Commencing his career in college football and with the Oakland Raiders, he transitioned to acting in shows like The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky & Hutch, and Good Times, before landing the iconic role of Creed in the first Rocky film. He reprised the role for three sequels before his character met his demise in Rocky IV.
Weathers went on to feature in Predator and collaborated with Adam Sandler for Happy Gilmore, Little Nicky, and Eight Crazy Nights. He also starred in Street Justice and In the Heat of the Night, voiced Combat Carl in Toy Story 4, and, more recently, portrayed Greef Karga in The Mandalorian – earning him an Emmy nomination.
Following the news of his passing, numerous former costars, including Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren from Rocky, Sandler and Julie Bowen from Happy Gilmore, Pedro Pascal and Robert Rodriguez from The Mandalorian, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura from Predator, took to social media to pay tribute to their late friend.
“Today is an incredibly sad day for me,” expressed Stallone in a video. “I’m so torn up, I can’t even tell you. It’s a horrible loss … he was magic,” he added, “I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him.”
