Carl Weathers in 2022 and as Apollo Creed in ‘Rocky’ (1976)Getty/Everett

Carl Weathers, who starred as Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films and appeared in Predator, The Mandalorian, Happy Gilmore, Action Jackson, Arrested Development and dozens of other films and TV shows, died Thursday, his family announced. He was 76.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,” his family said in a statement. “He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024. … Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. 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.”
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Well, that’s a shame. What’s interesting to me is the initial shock that I felt when I first heard of this yesterday. But then I thought about how it probably shouldn’t be so shocking. I don’t mean this in a callous way, I swear, but he was 76. That’s not young. I think, especially with celebrities, we’ve gotten used to many of them living into their 80s and 90s, or if they die younger it’s because of some disease like Cancer. But the average lifespan for an American Black male is around 69-73, depending on the source. I couldn’t find any date for natural deaths but I think for most this is also how it happens, our hearts just give out one day.

Again, I don’t bring this up for any reason other than to point out that it is expected, and therefore we should cherish all our days, and the days we have with our loved ones, because it will all end at some point, and we may not see it coming.

As for Carl, I’ve said most of what I could say about his career before:

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And I still maintain that he should have had a movie career on par with Stallone and Schwarzenegger, but I’m happy to see his recent success in the Star Wars universe, on The Mandalorian. It was great to see him become a fan favorite at this late stage in life. And thus, he really had a happy ending, didn’t he? He was a working actor on a successful TV series when he died peacefully in his sleep. We should all be so lucky. R.I.P.