'Rocky' Star Carl Weathers To Appear In Super Bowl Ad Following His Death

Following his death, 'Rocky' star Carl Weatherswill still appear in an upcoming Super Bowl ad, which will air on February 11.

Weathers, who is a former professional football player and well-known actor, passed away on Thursday, February 1. Although the actor is no longer with us, he still has one more role left to play.

Weathers, who is best known for playing Apollo Creed in ‘Rocky’ alongside Sylvester Stallone, will appear on your television screens during the NFL's biggest game of the year.

As you may know, the actor has been associated with the online sports-betting company, FanDuel, and its Super Bowl work for years. Last year, sports fans watched as former NFL tight-end Rob Gronkowskiattempted to kick a field goal -- in real-time.

This year, fans will once again see Gronk's live kick attempt, which will occur just before the Super Bowl begins. The sports betting company will then air a follow-up commercial during the game itself.

Because Weathers passed away days before the Super Bowl, FanDuel wanted to approach its ad with caution.

Andrew Sneyd, FanDuel’s executive vice president of marketing, confirmed that the 'Rocky' actor will still appear in the ad, with the blessing of his family. “The family has been very supportive that they would still like to see Carl in the work," Sneyd stated.

His family announced the tragic news on Thursday, saying, “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers.”

“[He] 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. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.”

Sneyd says the company won't be changing anything in the "live event itself" as "Rob will kick the field goal, and he will be even more inspired to make it. He really enjoyed meeting Carl and found him to be such an optimistic and energetic person."

The in-game ad, however, will be making some changes.

“We had built a master. One is an edit if he makes the kick and we have an edit if he misses. That content we had in those masters wouldn’t be appropriate for us to do anymore,” Sneyd said of the upcoming ad. “Since the news of Carl’s passing came, we have been working with editors to help us get back to something that does make sense.”

FanDuel is in contact with Weathers’ family “to make sure they are comfortable," Syned added.

As they work on the commercial, they have been faced with tough and emotional moments, admitting, “We have been viewing edits through tears. We really enjoyed the short time we had to work with him. He’s a wonderful man and he genuinely is an inspiration and had such a positive outlook on the world. We want to make sure we try to meet this moment with the respect it deserves.”

Super Bowl LVIII will take place on February 11 and will air on CBS.