"He was magic...": Sylvester Stallone pays glowing tribute to Carl Weathers

Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers. Pics/AFP

Actor Sylvester Stallone paid tribute to his long-time friend and 'Rocky' co-star Carl Weathers, who died on Thursday at the age of 76. Weathers was known for playing boxer Apollo Creed in the first four 'Rocky' films, according to Variety.

He took to Instagram to share a video on his lifelong collaboration with Weathers, which began with the 'Rocky' series and continued for decades. The actor delivered the statement while standing in front of a painting of their characters, Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed facing off in the ring.

"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, 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," Stallone said. "I never could've accomplished what we did with 'Rocky' without him."

"He was absolutely brilliant -- his voice, his size, his presence, his athletic ability, but, most importantly, his heart, his soul. It's a horrible loss," Stallone said. "He was magic. I was so fortunate to be part of his life. Apollo, keep punching."

Weathers played Apollo Creed in the first four 'Rocky' films when he constantly fights Stallone's titular boxer in the ring. Though Creed dies in 'Rocky IV', Weathers' legacy in the franchise continues in the sequel series 'Creed', starring Michael B. Jordan as Creed's son.

According to Variety, Weathers and Stallone reunited at the 2017 Golden Globes, where the duo presented the final award of the night. "I can't believe it's been 40 years since 'Rocky,'" Weathers said, to which Stallone jabbed,"Yeah, and I can't believe I let you win the fight considering I wrote the screenplay."

It was at the Santa Barbara Film Festival a year prior when Weathers gave Stallone his prize. "He clearly knows that I'm a fan," Weathers said, adding, "I have such admiration and appreciation for all that very first screenplay allowed me ... So what can I say except he deserved the award, and I have tremendous gratitude for being a part of the whole adventure."

Apart from Sylvester, other actors also took to social media to pay tribute to the late actor, including Adam Sandler and Pedro Pascal.

"A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always," Sandler wrote of Weathers, whose shared credits include "Happy Gilmore," "Little Nicky" and "Eight Crazy Nights." "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."

Pedro Pascal, who played opposite Weathers in Disney+'s 'The Mandalorian,' shared a photo of the late actor on Instagram with the caption, "Words fail."

Robert Rodriguez, who directed Weathers in the 'Star Wars' spinoff series, commented, "Will miss the great Carl Weathers who I was very fortunate to work with on several occasions. A very kind and generous person. His performances were always electrifying and he was also a terrific director of both stage and screen."

Born in 1948 in New Orleans, Weathers played professional football before breaking out as an actor with small roles in Arthur Marks' blaxploitation movies 'Bucktown' and 'Friday Foster', as well as TV series including 'Good Times', 'Kung Fu', 'Cannon' and 'Starsky and Hutch'.

His career forever changed when he was cast opposite Stallone in 'Rocky', and Weathers would go on to star alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in 'Predator' and earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for 'The Mandalorian', of which he also directed two episodes, reported Variety.

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