Rob Garrison, the actor who played with extreme Tommy in”The Karate Kid” films and appeared at the YouTube series”Cobra Kai,” has died at age 59.
Garrison’s supervisor Rick Henriques verified the news Friday with a statement:
“Rob was a fantastic individual and ambassador into’The Karate Kid’ heritage,” the announcement read. “He is going to be missed by me and everyone he encountered.”
Tommy was a boisterous member of this villainous Cobra Kai dojo in 1984’s”The Karate Kid” that starred Ralph Macchio because the new kid in town that turns into martial arts at the face of bullying.
Tommy represented the full size intensity of this maleficent Cobra Kai dojo, as observed at the notorious line to his bully teammate Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) through the climatic final battle,”Get him a body bag! Yeah,!”
Rob Garrison, star of “Karate Kid,” has died. (Photo: GETTY)
Garrison’s Tommy also appeared at the 1986 sequel”The Karate Kid: Part II” and created a memorable cameo from the rebooted present series”Cobra Kai.”
Martin Kove, that has played with Sensei John Kreese of Cobra Kai throughout the show, paid tribute to Garrison at an announcement to USA TODAY, stating”we have lost one of my warriors”
“To the Spirit of my buddy Rob, I’ll see you up there one day and we’ll have the dojo to ourselves, since Cobra Kai down won’t be the same with no ‘this’ world,” composed Kove.
Kove known as Garrison”a fantastic man to people who personally shared his energy”
“You’ll be missed youthful Cobra, as a buddy, in and outside of the dojo,” composed Kove. “Cobra Kais never dies, we simply regroup.”
Macchio marked that the news of his display rival passing as “a unhappy day for the Karate Kid/ Cobra Kai household,” in an announcement to USA TODAY.
“Rob Garrison was a kind gentleman in the very first day that I met him on the final day we talked,” Macchio said in the announcement. “I am rather happy he had the chance to demonstrate his range and real heart along with his performance last year on’Cobra Kai’. . .My thoughts are with his family and friends”
A family statement said that Garrison at the hospital for at least a month whilst enduring issues with his liver and kidneys. The celebrity family is in the process of organizing funeral arrangements.
“Cobra Kai” co-creator Jon Hurwitz paid tribute to Garrison using a set of bothering tweets, stating that”our full Karate Kid/Cobra Kai family is devastated by the news of OG Cobra Rob Garrison’s passing. He was a truly gifted performer and a much greater man. My heart goes out to Rob’s family in this challenging time. #RIP.”
The two Macchio and Hurwitz paid tribute to Garrison’s poignant campfire scenes at the”Cobra Kai” event.
“I will never forget how transferred the whole cast and crew were by Rob’s brilliant and heartfelt performance from the campfire,” Hurtwitz composed on Twitter, after adding,”I am heartened to know just how much Rob loved and cherished his time working ‘Cobra Kai.’ We had been anticipating watching his smiling face this year, as we had plans for Tommy to ride . But he will stay in our thoughts daily as we attempt to make him happy.”