"You were a hero to any child growing up in the 80's" - Maria Sharapova's fiance Alexander Gilkes pays tribute to actor Carl Weathers on his death

Maria Sharapova's fiance Alexander Gilkes paid a touching tribute to "hero" Carl Weathers after he was pronounced dead on February 1, 2024.

The American actor and director, most famous for portraying Apollo Creed in the first four “Rocky” films opposite Sylvester Stallone, passed away in his sleep according to his family. He was 76 at the time.

Weathers also featured in other popular hits including Predator, Happy Gilmore, and the Star Wars series “The Mandalorian” for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

His sudden death on Thursday last week sent shockwaves through the film fraternity and others.

Amongst the numerous tributes pouring in, Alexander Gilkes, Maria Sharapova's to-be husband, took to Instagram to pay a heartfelt tribute to his "hero from the 80s."

Gilkes posted a photo of "Apollo Creed" and "Rocky Balboa" training together by running on the beach in the Rocky III movie. Apollo, who was Rocky's adversary in the first two films, became his coach in the third part to help him overcome his powerful opponent Clubber Lang.

Besides the photo, Gilkes had a touching caption in store for Weathers, more fondly referred to as Apollo by many:

"You were a hero to any child growing up in the 80's. Thank you Apollo/Carl Weathers," Gilkes wrote via his Instagram account.

Alexander Gilkes pays tribute to Carl Weathers via his Instagram

Maria Sharapova and Alexander Gilkes' relationship timeline

Maria Sharapova and fiance Alexander Gilkes

Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova and fiance Alexander Gilkes were first rumored to be dating in January 2018 when spotted at private events together. They went Instagram official in October of that year.

Gilkes popped the question to Sharapova in December 2020, to which she replied yes.

"I said yes from the first day we met❤️This was our little secret, wasn’t it 💍🥂@gilkesa," Sharapova conveyed to her fans.

"Thank you for making me a very very happy boy. I look forward to a lifetime of loving you, and learning from you @mariasharapova #💍," Gilkes wrote in his own post.

Together, they welcomed their first child, Theodore, into the world on July 1, 2022.

Other little-known facts about Gilkes include that he has Royal connections. He studied alongside Prince Harry and Prince William at Eton College. He was also invited to Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton. He is also close friends with Princess Eugenie, whom he fondly refers to as "Eug."

Apart from being a businessperson and art enthusiast, Gilkes has also worked for the British Vogue as a contributing editor. Gilkes is also multi-lingual and speaks Russian like his fiance. He also speaks French, Spanish and English.