On February 2nd, the untimely passing of  legendary actor Carl Weathers was announced to the public. 

Weathers rose to stardom with his breakout role as world heavyweight champion boxer Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise. That character played a major part in the first four films (1976-1985) and became his defining and most well known role. But that didn’t stop him from taking on numerous different kinds of roles after his departure from the franchise. He began starring in major action films during the 80s, most notably co-starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger as Colonel Al Dillon in 1987’s Predator. His career continued to evolve with roles such as Chubbs in Happy Gilmore (1996), Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise, and even joining the Star Wars universe in his role of Greef Karga in the critically acclaimed series The Mandalorian for which he was nominated for an Emmy. Most recently, he appeared in a series of Fanduel commercials with former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski, one of which aired during the Superbowl this past Sunday. This was not Weathers’ only connection to the NFL, as he had a short lived career as a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders across the 1970 and 1971 seasons before retiring and changing his career path to become an actor. 

At this time, there has been no established cause of death. In an official statement from his family, it was stated that Weathes passed away peacefully in his sleep. He is survived by his sons, Matthew and Jason. 

Two days after the tragic passing of Weathers, country singer Toby Keith passed away surrounded by his family. Keith was diagnosed with stomach cancer in fall of 2021 but did not make the news public until 2022. As his stomach cancer rapidly declined these past few months, he was able to perform one final show on December 14th, 2023.

Toby Keith was born and raised in Clinton, Oklahoma with his sister, brother, and parents. He spent his early life in the south, moving to Arkansas and back to Oklahoma. His love for music began at a young age, playing in a band at his job at the “Supper Club.” He got his first guitar at the age of eight, which advanced his passion. Growing up, he worked at local bars and roadhouses while maintaining a job in the oil industry. However in the 1980s, the oil industry in Oklahoma rapidly declined, causing Keith to be unemployed. 

After being unemployed he devoted his time to football and music. He tried out for the Oklahoma Outlaws but did not make the team, allowing him to focus solely on music.  Keith then went to Nashville Tennessee where he was signed by Harold Shedd and Mercury Records. 

Keith was known for his country music hits, such as “Red Solo Cup” and “Courtesy of The Red White and Blue.” He released a total of 21 studio albums before the age of 62. He also released 69, singles, and 55 of his songs reached the top 40. 42 made the top ten, and 20 were ranked #1. Keith was also a seven-time grammy nominee.