Pedro Pascal is mourning the loss of his Mandalorian costar Carl Weathers after news of the actor's death at age 76.
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“words fail 💔 #CarlWeathers,” Pascal, 48, wrote on Instagram alongside a throwback of his late costar.
Weathers starred as Bounty Hunters Guild leader Greef Karga on the Star Wars series The Mandalorian. His character and Pascal’s Mando became close over the course of the show’s first three seasons.
Jon Favreau, creator of The Mandalorian, also paid tribute to the late actor in a statement shared to the official Star Wars website.
“I am heartbroken by this devastating loss," he wrote. "He was a hero from my childhood who I was lucky enough to meet and then had the amazing good fortune to work with. He had the energy and curiosity of a young man paired with the wisdom that his rich life and career afforded him. My heart goes out to his family and countless admirers."
In a carousel of images shared to Instagram, Weather's Mandalorian costar Ming-Na Wen recalled her fondest memories with him and her heartbreaking reaction to learning of his death.
"I was 37,000 miles up in the air when I found out about the passing of my beloved friend and our @themandalorian family member, @carlweathers. I cannot believe this wonderful man is gone," she wrote before noting how she was "shocked and heartbroken" by the news.
Wen went on to share how her husband had been "hanging up the Apollo Creed figures I had Carl sign for him" when she learned what had happened. At the time, she was flying on a plane and her husband delivered the bad news over text.
"I normally don't drink on a plane, but after a good cry, I made a toast to Carl. Hoping I was closer to him up in the skies as he shares laughter with other angels in Heaven," she added, before concluding, "RIP, Carl. I will miss your positivity, your generous heart, your humor and your friendship and guidance. You were a gem of a human being with a naughty twinkle that I adored. I'm so sad. Just so so sad. 💔😢😪."
In addition to his Emmy-nominated portrayal of Greef Karga, Weathers also directed episodes of the hit Disney+ series.
“I enjoy both [acting and directing] thoroughly but I’ve fallen in love with directing,” he told Hypebeast in April 2023. “It allows me to provide my personality and artistic bent, there’s so much more opportunity to be creative because you’re really involved with the entire piece, working on every aspect of it.”
He added, “With such a fantastic crew, being a director in this process has presented me with a wonderful sandbox to play in and I’m so grateful to Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni for having me be a part of it.”
On Friday, the actor and former NFL player's family shared that he had died peacefully on Thursday.
"We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers," said the family, adding, "Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life."
"Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations," they added. "He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner and friend."
Aside from The Mandalorian, the star famously played Apollo Creed opposite Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky films. He also costarred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987's Predator, and portrayed Chubbs Peterson in 1996’s Happy Gilmore alongside Adam Sandler.
Weathers was also remembered by Sandler following his death.
"A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always," wrote Sandler, 57, on Instagram Friday. "Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! 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," he added.
