Fans and Fellow Actors Share Moving Tributes to Carl Weathers

FOLLOWING THE DEATH of Carl Weathers at the age of 76, the internet saw an outpouring of love for the hugely popular and well-respected actor, including heartfelt messages from many of his co-stars throughout the years.

Arguably Weathers' most famous role was Apollo Creed, the rival-turned-friend of eponymous boxer played by Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky franchise. Shortly after news of Weathers' death broke, Stallone shared a video on Instagram in which he emphasized the pivotal role that Weathers played in making those films such a hit.

"Today is an incredibly sad day for me. I'm so torn up I can't even tell you," he said. "I'm just trying to hold it in, because Carl Weathers was such in 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 added. "He was magic. And I was so fortunate to be part of his life. Apollo, keep punching."

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who worked with Weathers on the 1987 action classic Predator, shared a black and white still of them both on social media, and wrote: "Carl Weathers will always be a legend. An extraordinary athlete, a fantastic actor, and a great person. We couldn’t have made Predator without him. And we certainly wouldn’t have had such a wonderful time making it."

"Every minute with him - on set and off - was pure joy," he continued. "He was the type of friend who pushes you to be your best just to keep up with him. I’ll miss him, and my thoughts are with his family."

Adam Sandler, Weathers' co-star in Happy Gilmore, praised the man's sense of fun and loyalty, as well as his devotion to his children, saying he will always be remembered as a "true legend."

Weathers' more recent screen work includes his performance as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian, opposite Pedro Pascal and Giancarlo Esposito, both of whom expressed their sorry at his passing. Esposito described Weathers as "one of the most wonderful human beings" he had ever met, while Pascal simply wrote: "words fail." Danny Trejo, who worked with Weathers on the series Explosion Jones, called him a "beautiful soul."

Fans of Weathers have been posting some of his most iconic film moments—including the Predator handshake that launched a thousand memes—as well as some of his lesser-known comedic highlights, like his time hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live in 1988, and his hilarious cameo appearances in the sitcom Arrested Development. While the man himself may no longer be with us, he leaves behind a body of work that has already stood the test of time, and a huge amount of love and respect from his fans and fellow artists.

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