Rob Garrison, The Man Who Said Karate Kid’s Best Line, Has Died

Rob Garrison, The Man Who Said Karate Kid’s Best Line, Has Died

We’re fans of Karate Kid and its surprisingly interesting YouTube revival around these parts, so it’s particularly saddening to report that Rob Garrison, who played a role in the original Karate Kid and also returned for a short arc on Cobra Kai, has died.

Garrison, who was 59, is best known to Karate Kid fans as the dude who got the absolutely best line in the movie. Yes, even better than any of Miyagi’s: he’s the kid, a member of Cobra Kai, who cheered on his buddy Johnny with the immortal line, “Yeah! Get him a body bag!” It’s absurd but also kind of menacing, which fits the tone of the film perfectly.

Garrison later appeared in The Karate Kid Part II and a surprisingly tender storyline on YouTube’s Cobra Kai, where he played that same character, Tommy, all grown up, where he reunites with his old Cobra Kai buds as he’s dying of cancer.

Garrison’s death, first reported by TMZ, occurred Friday. He died in a hospital in West Virginia, where he was being treated for “ongoing kidney and liver issues.” He’s survived by his brother, Patrick.