KARATE KID Actor Robert Garrison Has Passed Away and William Zabka Offers a Heartfelt Tribute

Robert Garrison, the actor who played Tommy in The Karate Kid and also reprised his role years later in Cobra Kia Season 2, has passed away.

Garrison was 59 years old, and his sister-in-law told TMZ that he died Friday morning at a hospital in West Virginia. She went on to say that his passing wasn't sudden, “he had been in the hospital for over a month dealing with kidney and liver issues, and his organs shut down.”

Garrison played a member of the Cobra Kai team who famously yells, "Get him a body bag! Yeah!" The character later died in the Cobra Kai series after a motorcycle road trip with his friends.

Garrison also had small roles on TV shows like MacGyver, Columbo, and Coach. He is survived by his brother, Patrick, and Patrick's wife, Linda.

Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. Karate Kid’s William Zabka shared this heartfelt tribute to his friend:

View this post on Instagram

Yesterday the world lost a beautiful soul and an incredibly gifted actor, and I lost one of my dearest friends — the one and only, Rob Garrison. Rob and I met when we were auditioning for “Karate Kid.” We instantly connected and became friends while filming the movie. Our friendship grew stronger over the many years since then. Rob was a true thespian — an “actors actor.” Working with him was always natural and effortless. He elevated every scene and moment inside of them. Outside of acting, he was one of the most selfless and wonderful human beings I’ve ever known and I will miss him immensely. Thank you to all of his fans for the tremendous outpouring of love & respect he’s being shown. I know it means a lot to his family and friends.

A post shared by William Zabka (@william_zabka) on Sep 28, 2019 at 5:40pm PDT