Last week, the world lost an amazing talent. Carl Weathers passed peacefully in his sleep shortly before the Super Bowl.

Now, you may be asking yourself “sad, but why is Andrea talking about this on her Italian-American blog?” As far as I am aware, Mr. Weathers didn’t have Italian ancestry. Stick with me.

Growing up as a Gen-X kid, Rocky was a huge movie. I remember seeing Rocky movies at the Franklin Theater in Nutley and the audience actually cheered!

We all remember The Italian Stallion.

And Mr. Weathers was a huge part of the success of those films.

The rivalry, and ultimate friendship, between Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa is a classic The original Rocky deserves to be in the National Film Registry.

Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers became life-long friends. After Mr. Weather’s passing, Mr. Stallone released a video statement sharing his profound sadness on the loss.

Rocky was created by Mr. Stallone. It is not only a true underdog story and a piece of cinematic mastery, it was a relatable Italian-American story. He believed in his story and wanted to tell it his way. Instead of taking the easy way and letting someone run roughshod over his script. He held out and made sure it was done his way.

Sylvester Stallone has become a cinematic icon. He is incredibly proud of his heritage. And Carl Weathers played a huge role in his success.

Rest easy Mr. Weathers. And thank you.