It’s one of those things you don't want to believe. You’re scrolling through a streaming service, see a thumbnail of Greef Karga in The Mandalorian or the legendary Apollo Creed dancing around the ring, and you catch yourself wondering: is Carl Weathers still alive? Sadly, he isn't.
Carl Weathers passed away on February 1, 2024. He was 76 years old.
Honestly, the news hit like a freight train because he always seemed so invincible. Whether he was staring down Arnold Schwarzenegger in the jungle or teaching Adam Sandler how to putt with a wooden hand, the man radiated a certain kind of "forever" energy. But the reality is that the world lost a genuine titan of the screen.
What happened to Carl Weathers?
When the news first broke, people were shocked. He hadn't been public about any major illnesses. He was still working, still directing, and still very much in the public eye.
According to his death certificate, Weathers died from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Basically, he’d been dealing with heart disease for years. His family shared that he died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Venice, California.
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There’s a small comfort in that, right? After a life spent playing some of the most intense, physically demanding characters in cinema history, he went out quietly. No drama. No struggle. Just a peaceful exit for a man who had earned his rest.
A legacy that refuses to fade
Even though he’s gone, the question of whether Carl Weathers is still alive keeps popping up. Part of that is just how "present" he still feels in pop culture.
Take The Mandalorian, for instance. He wasn't just an actor on that show; he was a director. He helped shape the look and feel of the Star Wars universe for a new generation. When you see his work on screen today, it doesn't feel like a relic of the past. It feels fresh.
Then there’s the Super Bowl commercial. If you remember February 2024, there was that FanDuel "Kick of Destiny" ad with Rob Gronkowski. Weathers had filmed his parts before he passed. The company ended up re-editing the spot to include a beautiful tribute to him. Seeing him on screen just days after the news broke was surreal. It made it feel like he was still here, somehow.
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The man behind the muscles
Most people know him as the guy with the perfect physique, but he was way more than just an action star.
- He was a pro athlete: Before Hollywood, he was a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders.
- He was a comedian: His role as "Chubbs" in Happy Gilmore is legendary.
- He was a mentor: Stallone often says there wouldn't have been a Rocky without Carl. He brought the "magic" to that audition.
He once told an interviewer that he viewed himself as a "lucky guy." But if you look at his career—spanning 50 years and 75 credits—luck had very little to do with it. It was pure, unadulterated hustle.
Why we keep asking if he's okay
In the age of the internet, celebrity death hoaxes are everywhere. It’s natural to be skeptical when you see a headline. Plus, Weathers was so full of life in his final roles that the idea of him being gone just doesn't compute for a lot of fans.
We saw him get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame posthumously in late 2024. It was a bittersweet moment. His sons, Matthew and Jason, were there to represent him. It served as a final, official stamp on a career that changed the way Black actors were perceived in big-budget action films.
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Honoring his memory today
If you’re looking for a way to celebrate him, don't just stick to Rocky.
Go back and watch Action Jackson. Check out his comedic timing in Arrested Development, where he played a hilariously cheap version of himself. Or watch the episodes of The Mandalorian he directed, like "The Siege." You can see his fingerprints all over the storytelling.
The best way to keep his spirit "alive" is to keep watching. The man lived an extraordinary life that bridged the gap between professional sports and the highest heights of Hollywood.
If you want to dive deeper into his filmography or see the tributes from his co-stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, you can find a lot of those archives on official film history sites. His impact on the industry is something that will be studied for a long time.
Keep an eye out for any upcoming documentaries or retrospectives, as 2026 marks two years since his passing, and many in the industry are still finding ways to celebrate his massive contributions to the arts.