On Friday it was revealed that actor Carl Weathers had passed away. He was 76. Weathers had many beloved roles, including his breakthrough: as Apollo Creed, foe-turned-friend of Rocky Balboa. Among the many tributes Weathers received was from Rocky star, screenwriter, and occasional director Sylvester Stallone.
Sylvester Stallone pays tribute and says farewell to his pal and Rocky co-star CARL WEATHERS. RIP Carl.pic.twitter.com/ozf7kimkJC
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“Today is an incredibly sad day for me. I’m so torn up, I can’t even tell you,” Stllone said in a video posted to social media. “I’m just trying to hold it in because Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life, my success — everything about it, I give him incredible credit and kudos. 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.”
He added, “I never could’ve accomplished what we did with ‘Rocky’ without him.”
Stallone continued:
“He was absolutely brilliant — his voice, his size, his presence, his athletic ability, but, most importantly, his heart, his soul. It’s a horrible loss,” Stallone said. “He was magic. I was so fortunate to be part of his life. Apollo, keep punching.”
Weathers had been a footballer, a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders and the Canadian BC Lions, before he segued into acting. The first Rocky, from 1976, had been his biggest role to date, and he parlayed it into a career that spanned all the way to his death. At the end of his life, he was among the main cast of The Mandalorian, which still has yet to film its fourth season.
(Via Variety)
