Carl Weathers Has Passed Away

Carl Weathers died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, February 1st, according to his family. The 76-year-old actor was primarily known for his role as Apollo Creed in Rocky, he played the character in the first four of the Rocky movies. In the 1980s Carl starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator, one of his better known movies from the 1990s includes the Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore and he would make yet another appearance in a more comedic role as a fictionalized version of himself on the tv show Arrested Development in the early 2000s. Carl rose to prominence again in recent years when he received his first ever Emmy nomination for his role as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian, the breakaway hit show on Disney+, in later seasons he would also direct a few episodes.

It remains to be seen what that means for The Mandalorian, after Gina Carano as Cara Dune, Carl’s Greef Karga is the second major recurring character who can no longer appear on the show or in the movie.

Starwars.com has a statement from Jon Favreau:

I am heartbroken by this devastating loss. He was a hero from my childhood who I was lucky enough to meet and then had the amazing good fortune to work with. He had the energy and curiosity of a young man paired with the wisdom that his rich life and career afforded him. My heart goes out to his family and countless admirers.

Let’s all remember Carl. May he rest in peace!

Carl Weathers as Greef Karga