Adam Sandler and more lead tributes to Carl Weathers after his death at 76: ‘A true legend’

Adam Sandler is paying tribute to his late friend Carl Weathers, who died Thursday at 76.

The “Rocky” actor co-starred with Sandler in the 1996 comedy “Happy Gilmore.” 

“A true great man,” Sandler, 57, wrote on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.

“Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always,” he continued on Friday. “Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!!”

Sandler added: “Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to his entire family and Carl will always be known as a true legend.”

In “Happy Gilmore,” Weathers played Chubbs Peterson, a one-time pro golfer who lost his hand in an alligator attack.

“He got me, but I tore one of that bastard’s eyes out, though,” Weathers memorably said as Chubbs. “Look at that.”

The actor died “peacefully in his sleep,” according to a statement released by his family. 

More stars took to social media to honor Weathers, who got his start in football as a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders before going on to act in movies and TV series — most famously as Apollo Creed in the first four “Rocky” films.

His “Mandalorian” co-star Pedro Pascal only posted a photo of Weathers to Instagram with the short caption “words fail” and a broken-heart emoji.

Comedian Dane Cook also wrote an appreciation on X, alongside a video clip of the actor as Creed. “RIP to the legend Carl Weathers,” he wrote.

“This moment, your delivery of it in Rocky inspired me the moment I heard it. I live my life by it. Your voice and performance gave me belief. I love you for that. Rest in peace & power man.”

Jon Lovitz added to the outpouring of emotional tributes.

“God bless Carl Weathers,” the “Saturday Night Live” star said on X. “A wonderful actor and athlete. I got to know him years ago. He hosted SNL and was so great to work with. So great in Rocky. And such a nice guy. Another good guy, gone. This is very sad news. God bless him and his family.”

In more recent years, Weathers appeared as himself on the Fox comedy series “Arrested Development,” voiced Combat Carl in 2019’s “Toy Story 4” and played Greef Karga on “The Mandalorian.”