Rob Garrisonhas passed away. He was 59 years old. Garrison is arguably best known for playing Tommy in 1984’sThe Karate Kid, a role which he reprised this year for YouTube’s successfulCobra Kaiseries. The actor died Friday morning in a hospital in West Virginia. According to his sister-in-law, Garrison was suffering liver and kidney problems and was in the hospital for over a month. He died as a result of his organs shutting down. His family is currently setting up funeral arrangements.
“Rob was a great person and ambassador toThe Karate Kidlegacy,” said his talent manager Rick Henriques in a statement. Henriques went on to say, “His performance in season 2 ofCobra Kai, being his last, was simply amazing and he stole the episode.” Garrison’s Tommy character was the one inKarate Kidwho excitedly cheered on William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence during his final match with Ralph Macchio. He is responsible for the iconic line: “Get him a body bag! Yeah!”
Rob Garrison started his career as a child actor in the 1970s, appearing inLost and FoundandProm Nightbefore going on to doThe Karate Kid,The Karate Kid 2, andIron Eaglein the 1980s. Garrison then took a long break from acting, but never stopped promoting the legacy ofThe Karate Kidand often appeared at conventions with William Zabka and Martin Kove. His role in season 2 ofCobra Kaiwas a pleasant surprise to fans.Cobra Kaiwriter and director Jon Hurwitz had this to say about Garrison.
“Our entireKarate Kid/Cobra Kaifamily is devastated by the news of OG Cobra Rob Garrison’spassing. He was a truly gifted performer and an even better man. My heart goes out to Rob’s family during this difficult time.”
Jon Hurwitz also posted some pictures of the gang shooting the reunion scene fromCobra Kaiseason 2. Apparently, the reunion on screen also happened behind-the-scenes with the cast and crew sharing beers around the campfire while trading stories back and forth. Hurwitz is incredibly grateful that they all had the chance to work together like that. He explains.
“I’ll never forget how moved the entire cast and crew was by Rob’s brilliant and heartfelt performance by the campfire. I’ll also never forget the laughs we shared later that night over beers as the gang told stories, including some gems Rob had from the set ofIron Eagle… I’m heartened to know how much Rob enjoyed and cherished his time working onCobra Kai. We were looking forward to seeing his smiling face again this season, as we had plans for Tommy to ride again. But he’ll remain in our thoughts every day as we strive to make him proud.”
Rob Garrison didn’t do a whole lot of acting after the 80s and appeared in episodes ofColumbo,Coach, andHomefront. He also starred in a 2016 short film entitledStatic. At the end of his career, Garrison was working as a freelance actor and made his living as a restaurant manager. He is survived by his brother, Patrick, and Patrick’s wife, Linda.TMZwas the first to report the news.
