Sylvester Stallone Remembers ‘Rocky’ Co-Star Carl Weathers: “He Was Absolutely Great”

7 months ago 19

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Sylvester Stallone Carl Weathers tribute

Carl Weathers and Sylvester Stallone in 'Rocky', left, and 'Rocky II' United Artists/Everett Collection

Sylvester Stallone paid tribute today to Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films and died Thursday at 76.

In an emotional Instagram video post (watch it below), the three-time Oscar nominee recalled his longtime friend in a sometimes-quivering voice: “”My life was forever changed for the better the day I met Carl Weathers. … He was magic, and I was fortunate to be part of his life. … Rest in power and keep punching.”

Standing in front of an abstract painting from their Rocky days in the ring, Stallone says in the video: “Hello, everyone. Today is an incredibly sad day for me. … Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life which he says everything about it. I give him incredible credit …. 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. I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him. He was absolutely great. His voice, his size, his power, his athletic ability, but more importantly, his heart, his soul.”