The passing of Carl Weathers, a revered figure in Hollywood, has led to widespread grief within both the entertainment industry and his devoted admirers. Weathers, aged 76, passed away on Thursday. Renowned for his portrayal as Apollo Creed in the Rocky flicks, his extensive filmography also encompassed notable roles in Predator, Happy Gilmore, and The Mandalorian.

Now, a number of his renowned co-stars, including iconic action figures Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, are expressing their admiration and honouring him.

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Stallone: “Apollo, keep punching”

Carl Weathers gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Apollo Creed in the initial four installments of the Rocky film series. Initially starting as a heavyweight champion and adversary to Sylvester Stallone’s character Rocky Balboa, he subsequently develops a strong friendship with Rocky and takes on the role of his trainer.

Stallone held a deep affection and admiration for his enduring co-star, which transcended their on-screen connection. Following the announcement of Weathers’ demise on Friday, Sly posted a tribute on his Instagram account.

“We lost a legend yesterday,” Stallone wrote. “My life was forever changed for the better the day I met Carl Weathers.”

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“Today is an incredibly sad day for me,” Stallone says in the video. “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. 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.”

“I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him. He was absolutely brilliant. His voice, his size, his power, his athletic ability, but more importantly, his heart, his soul. It’s a horrible loss.”

“He was magic, and I was so fortunate to be part of his life. So, Apollo, keep punching.”

Their on-screen partnership got off to an unusual start: Weathers recalled that, while auditioning for the original Rocky film, he insulted Stallone’s acting chops, thinking he was only the screenwriter.

“I just blurted out, ‘I could do a lot better if you got me a real actor to work with,’” he recalled to the Hollywood Reporter. “So I just insulted the star of the movie without really knowing it and not intending to.”

It marks the second time this year that Stallone has said goodbye to one of his close Rocky co-stars: Burt Young, who played Rocky’s best friend and brother-in-law Paulie in all six films, died in October. Stallone paid tribute, calling him an “incredible man and artist.”

Schwarzenegger: Weathers will “always be a legend”

Sly wasn’t the only acting legend paying tribute to Weathers. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred with Weathers in the classic action film Predator (in which the two men performed the best handshake in movie history) also shared some kind words.

“Carl Weathers will always be a legend. An extraordinary athlete, a fantastic actor, and a great person. We couldn’t have made Predator without him,” Mr. Schwarzenegger wrote. “And we certainly wouldn’t have had such a wonderful time making it.”

“Every minute with him – on set and off – was pure joy. He was the type of friend who pushes you to be your best just to keep up with him. I’ll miss him, and my thoughts are with his family.”

Weathers had previously recalled the experience of filming Predator with Schwarzenegger, saying there was both wild camaraderie as well as macho competition among the cast.

“You know, there’s a great line: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What happened during Predator stays in Predator,” Weathers told GQ in 2020. “There were nightclubs. We were a bunch of young guys. We were all in our own way trying to one-up each other.”

“Of course, with training, Arnold had an entire gym there, so we were going to the gym working out to get all puffed up before scenes,” he added. “Nobody wanted to look any weaker than the other guy. So, you know, it was competition constantly; competition in front of the camera, competition behind the camera, competition at night.”