Carl Weathers, Dies At The Age of 76, is honored by Adam Sandler and Pedro Pascal

Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films opposite Sylvester Stallone, The Mandalorian, and the One Chicago franchise, dies at the age of 76.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,” his family said in a statement. “On Thursday, February 1st, 2024, he passed away peacefully in his sleep.” Carl was an incredible person who led an extraordinary life. His contributions to movies, television, the arts, and sports have left an indelible impression, and he is well-known globally and across generations. He was a cherished brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.

Carl also participated in Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler, and the comedian paid tribute on X/Twitter in the hours following the news: “A real great man.

Adam Sandler's tribute to Carl Weathers on X

“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.”

Pedro Pascal pays tribute to Carl Weathers on his instagram

Carl has previously appeared in Predator, Action Jackson, Toy Story 4 as Combat Carl, and most recently The Mandalorian with Pedro Pascal, who published a post on Instagram that simply read: “Words fail,” accompanied with a picture of Carl.

Carl played Greef Karga, the leader of the Bounty Hunters Guild and close ally of Pedro Pascal’s Mando, in the Disney+ Star Wars series. He was nominated for his first Emmy for the role, and he also directed two episodes from seasons two and three.

Carl was born on January 14, 1948, and has two sons with his ex-wife Mary Ann.

He graduated from San Diego State University and began his career in the early 1970s, appearing on television shows such as Kung Fu, S.W.A.T., Starsky and Hutch, Barnaby Jones, and The Streets of San Francisco.

His big break came as Apollo Creed, and he went on to star in the cult classic Predator, as well as Adam Sandler’s comedy Happy Gilmore, where he played the titular character’s golf coach.

Carl was severely hurt while filming, and he subsequently told GQ that he didn’t grasp the extent of his injuries for many years: “I didn’t know it until years later, but I fractured two vertebrae and osteophytes grew out and connected, and it did a kind of self-fuse in a really bad place.”

“I spent three or four years in agonizing discomfort. And somehow, I was going to a doctor and getting treatment, and then I went to another doctor, and finally, when I thought I’d had enough, I started looking into surgeons, and one of the heads of surgery at one of our very fine hospitals in Los Angeles told me, ‘You don’t want us to touch that. We can only make things worse. I said, ‘How am I going to get through this?’