Sylvester Stallone has opened up and shared an emotional tribute to the late Carl Weathers.
Weathers, who played Rocky's nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the first four "Rocky" films, died Thursday at the age of 76.
"Today is an incredibly sad day for me," Stallone said in a video posted to Instagram. "I mean, 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. And 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."
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"I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him," Stallone continued. "He was absolutely brilliant. His voice, his size, his power, his athletic ability, but more importantly, his heart, his soul."
Stallone then went on to point out the painting he was standing in front, which shows he and Weathers fighting in the ring as their respective characters in the iconic film franchise.
"It was probably the last moment we were ever in the ring together, and I’ll never forget it," Stallone said. "He was magic. And I was so fortunate to be part of his life. So, Apollo, keep punching."
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In addition to his role as Apollo Creed, Weathers was known for his roles in the original "Predator," "Happy Gilmore" and, most recently, starring in all three seasons of "The Mandalorian."
A true athlete, Weathers began his adult life playing football, first for San Diego State and then one season as a linebacker the Oakland Raiders during the 1970 NFL season.
But he would return to acting (he was a theater major in college) after he hung up his cleats.
“There are so many people that came before me who I admired and whose success I wanted to emulate, and just kind of hit the benchmarks they hit in terms of success, who created a pathway that I’ve been able to walk and find success as a result. And hopefully I can inspire someone else to do good work as well,” he told the Detroit News in 2023. “I guess I’m just a lucky guy.”
