American actor and former American football player Carl Weathers, best known for playing Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films, died at the age of 76, his family announced in a statement published this Friday.
"He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1, 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," his loved ones recalled in their farewell text.
With an acting career spanning approximately half a century, Weathers (New Orleans, 1948) appeared in dozens of notable films, such as the Rocky saga (1976); Predator (1987) with Arnold Schwarzenegger; Action Jackson (1988) or Happy Gilmore (1996), and in many other television titles, among the most recent The Mandalorian (2019) with the Chilean Pedro Pascal.
"He will be recognized throughout the world with the passing of generations. He was a very dear brother, father, grandfather, companion and friend," the family statement concludes.
His most acclaimed character was that of the world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in Rocky (1976) due to his anthological fights against Sylvester Stallone, who played the leading role of Rocky himself in this very popular franchise.
Weathers repeated in Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985), where he lost his life in the ring at the hands of Russian heavyweight Ivan Drago (played by Dolph Lundgren).
He also voiced one of the characters in the Oscar-winning Toy Story 4 (2019) and had already participated in the television special Toy Story of Terror, released six years earlier.
The small screen had been his preferred habitat at the beginning of his career, participating as a guest in series such as S.W.A.T. or Starsky and Hutch during the 1970s.
Additionally, Weathers played football at San Diego State University, where he majored in theater, and played the 1970 season in the NFL professional league with the Oakland Raiders.
