Carl Weathers, a former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, playing nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies, facing-off against Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Predator” and teaching golf in “Happy Gilmore,” has died. He was 76.
Matt Luber, his manager, said Weathers died Thursday. His family issued a statement saying he died “peacefully in his sleep.”
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers. He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024," his family said in the statement. "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 and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.”
Weathers is an alumna of San Diego State University, where he honed his acting skills as a theatre arts major in 1968. He was also a linebacker for the football team before playing for the NFL's Raiders and the Canadian football team.
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"In so many ways he embodied the spirit of a champion and an artist, and I am grateful that I and so many of our SDSU students had a chance to know him and learn from him," SDSU President Adela de la Torre wrote in part of a statement. "He was full of imagination, energy, and talent. For these reasons, he will always be an inspiration and an icon."
"We are saddened to hear of the passing of Carl Weathers. It was a privilege to meet Carl on this last visit to campus in February 2023. It’s great to see a former Aztec student-athlete have such a successful career outside of the athletics realm. Our hearts go out to the entire Weathers family in this difficult time," JD Wicker, SDSU's director of athletics, wrote in a statement.
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Comfortable flexing his muscles on the big screen in “Action Jackson” as he was joking around on the small screen in such shows as “Arrested Development,” Weathers was perhaps most closely associated with Creed, who made his first appearance as the cocky, undisputed heavyweight world champion in 1976’s “Rocky,” starring Sylvester Stallone.
“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,” he told The Daily Beast in 2017.
Most recently, Weathers has starred in the Disney+ hit “The Mandalorian,” appearing in all three seasons.
