On Friday afternoon, the second day of Black History Month, we all received the horrible news that Carl Weathers had passed away in his sleep at the age of 76.
Devastated to learn that Carl Weathers has passed away.
— First and Pen (@firstandpen) February 2, 2024
The man we all knew and loved as Apollo Creed passed away in his sleep on Thursday. He was 76. RIP Carl Weathers. ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/YHU9R0GS6e
Everyone took to social media to express their feelings over Weathers’ passing, including Sylvester Stallone.
“Today is an incredibly sad day for me,” said Stallone on IG. “I mean, I’m so torn up I can’t even tell you. 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.
“I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him. He was absolutely brilliant. His voice, his size, his power, his athletic ability, but more importantly, his heart, his soul. It’s a horrible loss. He was magic, and I was so fortunate to be part of his life. So, Apollo, keep punching.”
Weathers is best known as Apollo Creed from the iconic Rocky films, where he played the brash boxing champion who gave Rocky Balboa, a local Philly fighter, a title shot in the award-winning 1976 film that launched the legendary series.
He appeared in the first four films in the franchise, where Apollo split his two fights against Rocky, helped the Italian Stallion train to fight Clubber Lang, won their secret third fight and became family with the Balboas before heartwrenchingly dying in the tragic fight against Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) in 1985’s Rocky IV, a moment when we all cried over the fallen champion.
While that was his biggest and most famous role, Weathers the man was much more than Apollo.
As an actor, Weathers played roles that garnered cult classic fame, which can oftentimes be more meaningful than critical acclaim.
After Apollo’s death, Weathers played Dillon in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 action packed hit film, Predator. The movie spawned six future films, but nothing was as good as the original, and Weathers played a part in the film’s success. He and Schwarzenegger also gave fans the biceps flexing meme that is constantly used across social media.
But to understand his impact, you must look at his life and the time when he entered acting.
Born in New Orleans, Weathers was a gifted athlete who played linebacker for the San Diego State Aztecs (SDSU) during the Don Coryell era (1968-69) while also becoming a theatre major.
Afterward, he played for the Radiers for a short time before retiring in 1974 to pursue acting.
During the 70s, the place where most Black actors found work was in Blaxploitation films, and Weathers was no exception. He played small parts in two blaxploitation flicks, 1975’s Friday Foster (he played “Yarbro”) and Bucktown in the same year (he played “Hambone”).
Those films introduced him to the industry and a year later, he became Apollo Creed, a role originally meant for boxing legend Ken Norton but that ultimately went to Weathers.
