Actor Carl Weathers may be best known as Apollo Creed, the character he played in the films “Rocky,” “Rocky II,” “Rocky III” and “Rocky IV.” According to IMDB, he worked on a total of 80 films and TV shows. Other notable credits include “Happy Gilmore,” “Predator,” and most recently, the TV series “The Mandalorian,” where he played Greef Karga in 9 episodes.

Weathers’ manager, Matt Luber, confirmed the sad news of the actor’s death to Variety. Weathers died on February 1, 2024. He was 76 years old. Luber did not share a cause of death.

Before working as an actor, Weathers was a football player. He played for San Diego State University and later the Oakland Raiders. In 1974, he retired from football to turn his attention to acting.

Yahoo! Entertainment reports that even when Weathers was playing football, he was still passionate about acting. While attending San Diego State University, he majored in theater arts.

Weathers landed his first role in 1975, one year after retiring from football. Being cast in “Rocky” in 1976 was his big break. In 2021, he earned an Emmy nomination for his role in “The Mandalorian.”

Upon hearing the news of Weathers’ death, actor Adam Sandler, who worked with Weathers on “Happy Gilmore,” shared a tribute to the late actor on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, “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 his entire family and Carl will always be known as a true legend.”

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

Weathers was married three times. His first wife was Mary Ann Castle. They were married from 1973 to 1983 and had two children together, both sons. Their marriage ultimately ended in divorce, and Weathers went on to marry Rhona Unsell in 1984. Their marriage ended in divorce as well, and Weathers married Jennifer Peterson in 2007. Again, the marriage ended in divorce, this time in 2009.

Weathers is survived by his children. Jason Weathers and Matthew Weathers.

Watch the video below for more details about Weathers’ life and career.