Movie star Carl Weathers, who famously portrayed Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise, died at the age of 76 on Thursday (February 1). Weathers’ family disclosed his death in a statement issued on Friday (February 2).
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,” his family said, per Deadline. “He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024 … Carl was an exceptional human being who lived 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. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner and friend.”
Weathers became a successful actor following a brief career in the NFL. The New Orleans native appeared in several movies and TV shows before landing his breakout role, Apollo Crowd, in the original Rocky film. Weathers reprised his role in three sequels, making himself a fixture of the franchise with Sylvester Stallone.
The esteemed actor appeared in another hit film when he starred as Al Dillon in the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led action movie Predator. Weathers also secured the lead role in Action Jackson, portraying the titular character.
Years later, Weathers showed off his comedic chops in Adam Sandler’s golf comedy Happy Gilmore. Weathers played Derick “Chubbs” Peterson, a retired golfer who coaches Sandler’s character Happy Gilmore.
Weathers bolstered his comedic reputation with a recurring role in the acclaimed TV series Arrested Development, playing a fictionalized version of himself. The Arrested Development version of Weathers was depicted as a ridiculously frugal man who agreed to be Tobias Fünke’s acting coach.
More recently, Weathers voiced Combat Carl in Toy Story 4 and joined the Star Wars universe with a role in the Disney Plus series The Mandalorian. Weathers portrayed Greef Karga and directed two episodes of the show.