LOS ANGELES – Actor Sylvester Stallone paid tribute to his long-time friend and Rocky co-star Carl Weathers in an emotional video on Feb 3.

Weathers, a former professional American football player who shot to stardom by playing the brash and charismatic boxer Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies (1976 to 1985), died on Feb 1 at age 76.

In the video posted on Instagram, Stallone, 77, stood in front of a painting depicting their characters, Rocky Balboa and Creed, squaring 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,” said Stallone.

He added: “When he walked into that room and I saw him for the first time, I saw greatness. But I didn’t realise how great. I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him.”

Weathers’ character was at first a rival and later an ally to the Rocky character in the first four movies of the series.

Modelled after Muhammad Ali, the Creed character demonstrated smarts and flare, offering audiences a strong and positive black character at a time when mainstream movie roles were just starting to break out of stereotypes.

“Carl 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.”

While he could show off his physique in movies like Action Jackson, in which he played the lead character in the 1988 film, Weathers also played comedy. He took a turn opposite Adam Sandler as the one-handed golf coach in Happy Gilmore in 1996, and parodied himself in the television series Arrested Development in four episodes from 2004 to 2013.

“So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell,” Sandler said of Weathers on Instagram.

Weathers had a brief career playing for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League, but retired from the sport to pursue acting.

He landed steady work in minor roles until he was cast as Creed, a role that according to Hollywood lore originally went to boxer Ken Norton, who dropped out just before production.

In a 2016 interview with The Daily Beast, Weathers said he “stole a lot” from Ali in creating the character.

“With any role that’s so iconic, defining, grand – it was so many things, you know? But yeah, it puts you on the map and makes your career, so to speak. But that’s a one-off, so you’ve got to follow it up with something. Fortunately, those movies kept coming,” Weathers said.

After the Creed character was killed off, he teamed up with the other major action star of the period, Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a role in the 1987 hit Predator.

Schwarzenegger posted several photos of him and Weathers from Predator on Instagram on Feb 3.

The 76-year-old star said the sci-fi actioner could not have taken off without Weathers’ presence.

“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,” wrote Schwarzenegger.

Over 10 episodes from 2019 to 2023, The Mandalorian put Weathers back into the limelight.

Married and divorced three times, he is survived by two children, Jason and Matthew. The statement from his manager described Weathers as a “beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend”. REUTERS