Sports Fans Mourn Death of Carl Weathers, Who Played Apollo Creed in ‘Rocky’ Films

On Thursday, two cultural worlds—the sports world and the entertainment world—lost a larger-than-life icon.

Carl Weathers has died at the age of 76, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy. On the football field, he played two seasons for the Oakland Raiders from 1970 to ’71. Off it, he acted in three Rocky films, Arrested Development, The Mandalorian, and countless other movies and TV shows.

It came as no surprise, then, that his death triggered an outpouring of mourning. Numerous athletes, actors and observers took to social media to share what the New Orleans native meant to them.

Salvador: Madden Comment That Ended Carl Weathers’s NFL Career Fueled His Success As an Actor

Comedy great Adam Sandler, who co-starred with Weathers in Happy Gilmore, was particularly complimentary.

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

Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson expressed his condolences.

Rest in peace to the truly amazing actor and entertainer, Carl Weathers. We all marveled at his talents on the big screen in the “Rocky” franchise as Apollo Creed, and I really enjoyed him in his role as the police chief in the hit TV show “In the Heat of the Night”! Cookie and I…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 2, 2024

Former Baylor and NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III shared a montage of Weathers in his most famous role—as Rocky Balboa's friend and rival Apollo Creed.

Carl Weathers has passed away at the age of 76. There is no Rocky without Apollo Creed and we were lucky that Carl brought him to life. RIP to a legend. pic.twitter.com/yt2AIEl2h3
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 2, 2024

Wrestling great and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura fondly recalled working with Weathers on Predator.

We lost an icon. Carl Weathers was a phenomenal talent, a true professional, and a dear friend. All my sympathies and love to his family. I loved working with him on Predator and then celebrating that film with him at various conventions in the ensuing years.
Thank you, Carl. pic.twitter.com/29OJoe8qcu
— Jesse Ventura (@GovJVentura) February 2, 2024

The former Raiders linebacker received a tribute from his old team.

pic.twitter.com/AuuJOfrsFr
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) February 2, 2024

Many noted Creed as being among the most compelling film characters ever.

RIP Carl Weathers

The man who played one of the best sports movie characters of all time, Apollo Creed pic.twitter.com/JBwHSUzqWH
— Will Compton (@_willcompton) February 2, 2024

It's clear that, despite his abbreviated NFL career, Weathers had a considerable impact on sports through the sheer gravitas of his Rocky performance.

Honor of my life to sit down with this man and talk about how Rocky is like a funhouse mirror of Ali-Frazier. I was fanning out of my mind and he was generous and cool. Rest in Peace Carl Weathers. pic.twitter.com/P2tcIULVm8
— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) February 2, 2024

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