Carl Weathers dies at 76: Sylvester Stallone pays touching tribute to Apollo Creed actor

American actor Carl Weathers died at the age of 76 on Thursday, February 1. Weathers’ family confirmed the news of his death in a statement, saying he “died peacefully in his sleep.” His death left fans of the Rocky franchise devastated as Weathers was most famous for his role as Apollo Creed.

Following the news of Weathers’ death, Sylvester Stallone, who starred alongside him in Rocky films, paid a touching tribute to his co-star.

Sylvester Stallone’s emotional tribute to Rocky co-star Carl Weathers

Stallone, who portrayed Rocky Balboa, took to social media to express his grief over Weathers’ death. In a video shared on Instagram on Friday, Stallone said, “Today is an incredibly sad day for me. I’m so torn up I can’t even tell you.”

“I’m just trying to hold it in because Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life, my success, everything about it,” he continued.

The Rambo star said, “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 realise how great, adding, 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 and his soul. It’s a horrible loss,” Stallone expressed. “It was probably the last moment we were ever in the ring together, and I’ll never forget it. He was magic, and I was so fortunate to be part of his life. So, Apollo, keep punching,” he added.