Tommy's Death (& True Story Connections) Explained
Amelia Brooks Rob Garrison, one of the original Cobra Kai from The Karate Kid, passed away in 2019 soon after his character, Tommy, died in Cobra Kai season 2.
Tommy, one of the original members of Cobra Kai, died in season 2 — shortly before the death of actor Rob Garrison, who played him, in 2019. In 1984's The Karate Kid, Tommy was one of Johnny Lawrence's (William Zabka) loyal Cobra Kai gang - along with Bobby (Ron Thomas), Jimmy (Tony O'Dell), and Dutch (Chad McQueen). They were all students of Sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) and practiced Cobra Kai's aggressive "no mercy" brand of karate. When Johnny became enemies with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), who began dating Lawrence's ex-girlfriend Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue), Tommy and the rest of the Cobra Kai gladly intimidated and beat up Daniel — until a truce was called so that LaRusso could train to compete at the 1984 All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament.
During the All Valley finals, Tommy cheered Lawrence on and uttered his most famous line of dialogue: "Get him a body bag - yeah!", before Daniel won The Karate Kid tournament with his infamous crane kick. In Cobra Kai season 1, Johnny revealed he suspects LaRusso's sensei, Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita), gave Tommy "brain damage" when Miyagi trounced the Cobra Kai on Halloween to rescue Daniel. In Cobra Kai season 2, Johnny took a road trip to reunite with his Cobra Kai high school buddies. Sadly, Tommy was hospitalized and dying of cancer; Johnny, Jimmy, and Bobby sprang Tommy from the hospital so they could take a final camping trip up to Big Bear Lake. Tragically, Tommy died in his sleep overnight. More tragic still was that Cobra Kai Tommy actor Rob Garrison passed away the same year.
Rob Garrison Died Shortly After His Cobra Kai Character
In real life, Tommy actor Rob Garrison died at the age of 59 in September 2019, a few months after Cobra Kai season 2 originally streamed on YouTube Premium. The actor had been hospitalized for a month with liver and kidney problems, and his organs finally shut down. After The Karate Kid, Garrison acted in Iron Eagle (Johnny's favorite movie, which is probably no coincidence), and he had roles in Coach, St. Elsewhere, MacGyver, and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.
The Cobra Kai season 2 episode, "Take a Right", was Garrison's final acting performance. There was also a touching moment between Johnny and Tommy around the campfire where Tommy confessed that he was in love with Ali, but Johnny started dating her first. In fact, Tommy idolized Johnny Lawrence and joined Cobra Kai so that he could gain the confidence that Johnny had.
In spite of Tommy's death during Cobra Kai season 2, producer Jon Hurwitz said he had hoped Rob Garrison would reprise his role in season 3, possibly via flashbacks. Prior to Garrison's death, the actor engaged with his fans on social media and said that he was looking forward to returning in Cobra Kai season 3. Hurwitz also admitted that the final shot of Tommy in "Take a Right" is an Easter egg and a clever callback to his immortal dialogue from The Karate Kid, since Tommy is last seen being placed in a body bag.
What Did Rob Garrison Do Outside The Karate Kid?
With Cobra Kai season 6 potentially featuring more cameos from The Karate Kid universe, Hurwitz may just get his wish of somehow continuing the story of Rob Garrison's Tommy in the future — by further exploring the impact of his death — which would be awesome for Garrison's legacy. Garrison wasn't a full-time actor — he worked as a restaurant manager and acted in local theater productions in his hometown of Wheeling.
While acting wasn't Rob Garrison's main career, he's appeared in multiple movies and TV shows both before and after starring asTommy in The Karate Kid. His last TV role prior to Cobra Kai was as "Sheriff Blaine" in 1995 sitcom Kung Fu: The Legend Continues starring David Carradine. Many Rob Garrison roles outside Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid have been similar cameos that, while under the radar for most, were nonetheless appreciated by Karate Kid fans who spotted him.
Like many of the former Karate Kid actors in Cobra Kai, Rob Garrison's time screen career was born of passion rather than an attempt to reach stardom, and his love for what he did shows in his performance throughout Cobra Kai. He was incredibly well-regarded by those who knew him — especially by the Karate Kid fandom, which Garrison actively engaged with throughout the years before Cobra Kai. Rob Garrison wasn't a huge celebrity, but his death nonetheless remains a great loss both for his friends and family, and the fandoms of Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid.
