VENICE, CALIFORNIA – The death certificate of actor Carl Weathers has unveiled the cause of his demise. Weathers, whose family announced his passing at the age of 76 earlier this month, succumbed to “atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” according to The Blast. The document further indicated that Weathers was at his Venice residence when he passed away at 12:18 a.m. local time. The manner of his death was declared as “natural” by investigators who noted his longstanding battle with heart disease. Weathers’ son, Matthew Weathers, was the individual who informed authorities about his father’s death.
The family of Weathers had issued a statement confirming his death, stating that the actor had “died peacefully in his sleep” the day before. They expressed immense sorrow and applauded Weathers for his exceptional life and legacy in film, television, sports, and the arts. He was hailed as a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.
Prior to embarking on a successful acting career spanning over four decades, Weathers played professional football in the NFL in the early 1970s. He gained prominence for his role as boxer Apollo Creed opposite Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky franchise, starting with the original film in 1976. Weathers also starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 film Predator and received an Emmy Award nomination in 2021 for his portrayal of Greef Karga in the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian.
Throughout his diverse career, Weathers lent his voice to Toy Story 4 and had recurring roles on Dick Wolf’s NBC Chicago series. He was also recognized for his role as Chubbs in Adam Sandler’s 1996 comedy Happy Gilmore and for depicting a fictionalized version of himself on Arrested Development.
Weathers’ family intends to cremate him and receive his ashes thereafter. Representatives for Weathers and the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner have not yet responded to requests for comment.