‘Mandalorian’, ‘Rocky’ Star Carl Weathers Dead at 76

Action star Carl Weathers died in his sleep on February 1, according to an announcement from his family today. Weathers is best known for playing the role of Apollo Creed in Rocky (1976), which he successfully turned into a career as an action star, with roles alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator (1987) and in Action Jackson (1988). But after a softer turn as Chubbs in Happy Gilmore (1996), Weathers was able to turn to comedy and lighter roles later in his career, including playing the voice of Combat Carls in Toy Story 4 (2019) and himself for an extended stint on Arrested Development. 

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… pic.twitter.com/Gi2lPWFTgt

— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) February 2, 2024

But Weathers was experiencing a bit of a comeback in what would be his final role as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian. The Star Wars universe show brought Weathers to an entirely new audience.

Carl Weathers grew up in New Orleans and began acting in grade school. But like all boys growing up in the South, Weathers eventually found football. Football would get him out of New Orleans, as he received a scholarship to play at San Diego State University, where he majored in theater.

Weathers said:

When I found football, it was a completely different outlet. It was more about the physicality, although one does feed the other. You needed some smarts because there were playbooks to study and film to study, to learn about the opposition on any given week.

Carl Weathers has died. He was 76. His family issued a statement:

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers. He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024." pic.twitter.com/z2iTJ28FWF

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) February 2, 2024

Weathers would leave San Diego State early to play for the Oakland Raiders. He left the Raiders after only one season and played in the Canadian Football League for two years. He would eventually return to college to get a BA in drama and back to acting.

He made his acting debut in Magnum Force (1973) alongside Clint Eastwood. But it would be the character of Apollo Creed in Rocky, alongside Sylvester Stallone, that would make Weathers a household name. He would go on to star in Rocky, Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), and Rocky IV (1985) when Apollo Creed was killed in the ring by Ivan Drago.

Carl Weathers is such a devastating loss.

He was not only a great actor in Star Wars, but a great director. He helmed Chapters 12 and 20 of The Mandalorian.

Beyond that, he always championed inclusivity and equality with such authenticity. He will be missed 💜 pic.twitter.com/M6yxwJ1P7f

— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) February 2, 2024

Weathers said of his time as Apollo Creed:

It puts you on the map and makes your career, so to speak. But that’s a one-off, so you’ve got to follow it up with something. Fortunately those movies kept coming, and Apollo Creed became more and more in people’s consciousness and welcome in their lives, and it was just the right guy at the right time.

In the Disney Plus Star Wars series The Mandalorian, Weathers not only starred as Greef Karga alongside Pedro Pascal, but he also directed two of the episodes, which he had been doing on television since the 1990s.

Weathers is survived by his ex-wife and their two sons. No information was released on his cause of death.