Carl Weathers of ‘Chicago Justice’ poses for a portrait in the NBCUniversal Press Tour portrait studio at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on Jan. 18, 2017 in Pasadena, Calif. Maarten de Boer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Carl Weathers, the former NFL star known for his roles as Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise and Derick “Chubbs” Peterson in Happy Gilmore, died on Thursday (Feb. 1). He was 76 years old.
Weathers died in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement from his manager, Matt Luber, announcing the news. “Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life,” he said. “Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner and friend.”
During his time as a football player, Weathers played for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders from 1970 to 71 and for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League from 1971 to 73. Soon after, he landed the role of Apollo Creed — inspired by Muhammad Ali — in Rocky (1976), and continued to play him throughout the franchise.
He also had roles in Predator and The Mandalorian, in addition to portraying golfer Derick “Chubbs” Peterson in Happy Gilmore.
