Sandler described Carl Weathers as a remarkable and universally adored performer, while colleagues from Star Wars, Happy Gilmore, and Predator shared their views on his loss. After his death at 76, Carl Weathers’ fans are sending tributes.

Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the Rocky series, “passed away peacefully in his sleep” on Thursday, February 1, according to his family.

A remarkable person, Carl lived an astonishing life. His family stated that his contributions to movies, television, the arts, and sports have left an indelible impression and are known internationally and across generations. “He was a dear brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.”

He is survived by his ex-wife Mary Ann and his kids Matthew and Jason.

After playing collegiate football for the Oakland Raiders, he starred in The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky & Hutch, and Good Times before playing Creed in the first Rocky picture. He played the part in three sequels before Rocky IV killed him.

Weathers appeared in Predator, Happy Gilmore, Little Nicky, and Eight Crazy Nights with Adam Sandler. He also starred in Street Justice and In the Heat of the Night, voiced Combat Carl in Toy Story 4, and, more recently, portrayed Greef Karga in The Mandalorian – earning him an Emmy nomination.

Many former costars, including Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren from Rocky, Sandler and Julie Bowen from Happy Gilmore, Pedro Pascal and Robert Rodriguez from The Mandalorian, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura from Predator, paid tribute to him on social media.

“Today is an incredibly sad day for me,” Stallone said in a video. I can’t tell you how upset I am. A devastating loss… He said, “I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him.”