Carl Weathers dies at 76: Rocky and Predator actor dies peacefully in his sleep as Apollo Creed star's family pay tribute to 'exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life'

Iconic Rocky and Predator actor Carl Weathers has died at the age of 76.

The movie star, who was best known for playing Rocky Balboa's opponent and boxing mentor Apollo Creed in four Rocky films, died “peacefully in his sleep” on Thursday, February 1, his family announced in a statement.

They said: “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1, 2024.

'Carl was an exceptional person who led an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, art 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.”

Former professional football player Weathers became famous worldwide for playing world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in 1976's Rocky.

Creed gave 'Italian Stallion' underdog Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) his shot at the title in the iconic film – and Weathers reprized his role in 1979's Rocky II, in which Creed had a title rematch with Rocky, and in 1982's Rocky III, in which he faced Clubber Lang (Mr.T) and 1984's Rocky IV, in which his character was killed in the ring by Russian heavyweight Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).

His character also formed the core of the storyline for the critically acclaimed Rocky spin-off film series Creed, which stars Michael B. Jordan as Apollo's secret son and boxer Adonis Creed.

Weathers previously revealed that he insulted Stallone's acting skills during his Rocky audition, which landed him the role.

He said, 'There was no one to read with, and they said you were going to read with the writer [Stallone].

And we read through the scene and at the end of it I didn't feel like it had really sailed, that the scene had sailed, and they were silent and there was a moment of awkwardness, I felt anyway.

“So I just blurted out, 'I could do a much better job if you had a real actor for me to work with.' So I just offended the star of the movie without really knowing and without meaning to.”

Stallone felt like the jibe was something Creed would say, and Weathers added, “Sometimes it's the mistakes that get you the gig.”

He is survived by sons Jason and Matthew whom he shared with ex-wife Mary Ann Castle and his grandchildren.

Weathers was married and divorced three times, to Mary Ann from 1973 to 1983, Rhona Unsell from 1984 to 2006 and Jennifer Peterson from 2007 to 2009.

The star was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 14, 1948. During his school years, he showed an aptitude for sports and later played football as a defensive end in college.

He began his college career in 1966 at Long Beach City College and after suffering an ankle injury, he transferred and played for San Diego State University.

Weathers earned a master's degree in theater arts from San Diego State.

Weathers signed with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent in 1970 and played in seven games for the Raiders in 1970. The Raiders released him in September 1971.

Weathers signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and played for the Lions until 1973.

In the off-season, Weathers attended San Francisco State University and received a bachelor's degree in drama in 1974.

He retired from football in 1974 and began to pursue an acting career.

His first leading roles came in Bucktown (1975) and Friday Foster (1975) and he appeared in an episode of the sitcom Good Times in early 1975.

He also guest-starred in a 1975 episode of Kung Fu and appeared as a loan shark in an episode of the crime drama Starsky and Hutch.

After finding fame in Rocky, the star appeared in action films Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Predator (1987), Action Jackson (1988) and Hurricane Smith (1992).

He also appeared in Michael Jackson's Liberian Girl music video and co-starred in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore.

Sandler paid tribute to Weathers with a moving post, writing: “A truly wonderful man. Great father. Great actor. Great athlete. So nice to always be there. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Extremely funny.

“He 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 all his family and Carl will always be known as a true legend.”

Weathers' TV appearances include Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux in the police show Street Justice, Hampton Forbes in In the Heat of the Night (1992-1994) and MACV-SOG Colonel Brewster in the CBS series Tour of Duty.

Weathers' rose to fame again in 2004 by playing a parodied version of himself in the comedy series Arrested Development.

In 2019 he made his debut as Greef Carga in several episodes of the first season of the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. He would play this role until 2023, earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor.

The star also directed two episodes of the hit show.