Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the Rocky action film franchise, passed away peacefully at the age of 76 on Thursday. According to Deadline and Variety, his family released a statement saying he “died peacefully in his sleep”.
Sly Stallone’s tribute to Carl Weathers on insta. 🥺
Ok, i’m off to cry. Night x pic.twitter.com/CEDfyU5gcK
— Emma (@WhatTheForkLads) February 3, 2024
The New Orleans-born actor is known for playing iconic roles in Rocky, Predator, and the newest Mandalorian. Starring in the role of Apollo Creed, he was the face of the Rocky franchise, and his costar Sylvester Stallone won the 1976 Best Picture Oscar.
Following the news of his passing away, Rocky co-star Stallone and Rocky Cast Pay Tribute to Carl Weathers After Death, wrote ‘We Lost a Legend’.
Along with an emotional tribute video, Stallone wrote on IG,
“We lost a legend yesterday. My life was forever changed for the better the day I met Carl Weathers. Rest in power and keep punching.”
In the video uploaded on IG, he shared,
“Hello, everyone. Today is an incredibly sad day for me. Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life that he says everything about it. I give him incredible credit …. Because when he walked into that room, and I saw him for the first time, I saw greatness, but I didn’t realize how great. I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him. He was absolutely great. His voice, his size, his power, his athletic ability, but more importantly, his heart, his soul.”
Michael B. Jordan and 'Rocky' Cast Pay Tribute to Carl Weathers After Death https://t.co/sRf2xiNEsn
— People (@people) February 3, 2024
Michael B. Jordan, who played Apollo’s son Adonis “Donnie” Creed in 2015’s sequel Creed, shared a tribute to the man who played his onscreen father.
