02 February 2024 , 20:53
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The world of showbiz was rocked tonight (Friday) after the death of Rocky legend Carl Weathers was confirmed by his manager.
The acting icon passed away peacefully at the age of 76, with manager Matt Luber saying in a statement that his family would remember him as a "beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend". The words were echoed by his former co-stars and friends too, with tributes pouring in on social media.
As well as his role of Apollo Creed, Weathers starred in a number of hit projects, including Predator and Happy Gilmore, as well as and The Mandalorian and Arrested Development on the small screen. Among the first to pay tribute to the star was Creed star and former WBC World cruiserweight champion, Tony Bellew.
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Carl Weathers was best known for his role as Apollo Creed in Rocky (Mgm/Ua/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)The former sports star simply wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: " RIP Carl Weathers!!" along with a crying face emoji. He posted an image of a ripped looking Weathers from the Rocky franchise.
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Adam Sandler took to Instagram to share a poignant tribute to his Happy Gilmore co-star. Alongside a black-and-white image of Weathers, Sandler wrote: "A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to his entire family and Carl will always be known as a true legend."
Carl Weathers as Greef Karga in the Mandalorian (Francois Duhamel /Lucasfilm Ltd.)Also on Instagram was a shorter tribute but just as hard hitting by Pedro Pascal, who starred alongside Weathers in The Mandalorian. He devastatingly wrote: "Words fail," alongside a broken heart emoji.
Predator co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger shared a lengthy tribute alongside an image of the pair. He wrote: "Carl Weathers will always be a legend. An extraordinary athlete, a fantastic actor, and a great person. We couldn’t have made Predator without him. And we certainly wouldn’t have had such a wonderful time making it. Every minute with him - on set and off - was pure joy. He was the type of friend who pushes you to be your best just to keep up with him. I’ll miss him, and my thoughts are with his family."
Piers Morgan also paid tribute with a clip of one of his most iconic Rocky scenes telling Balboa there is no tomorrow during a tough training session. The TalkTV host wrote: "RIP Carl Weathers, aka Apollo Creed."
Weathers is survived by his sons, Jason and Matthew, with whom he shared with ex-wife Mary-Ann Castle.