Cobra Kai: Tommy’s Death (& True Story Connections) Explained

Tommy, one of the original members of Cobra Kai, died in season 2, which ironically preceded the real-life death of actor Rob Garrison in 2019. Set 35 years after the events of The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai continues the rivalry between Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio); in Cobra Kai season 2, they engage in a war between their competing dojos after Daniel reopens Miyagi-Do Karate to counter Johnny training many of the students of West Valley High School.

In The Karate Kid, Tommy was one of Johnny’s 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, 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. When it came down Johnny vs. Daniel in the finals, Tommy cheered Lawrence on and uttered his most famous line of dialogue: “Get him a body bag – yeah!”, before LaRusso beat Lawrence and won the championship. The opening moments of The Karate Kid Part II saw Tommy and the rest of the Cobra Kai quit when Kreese attacked Johnny after the tournament.

The events of The Karate Kid still weigh heavily on Johnny’s mind three decades later; in Cobra Kai season 1, Lawrence told his top student, Miguel Diaz (Xolo Mariduena), his version of what happened back in 1984. Johnny painted Daniel as the true villain and said that 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 from a beating. In Cobra Kai season 2, Johnny took a road trip to reunite with his Cobra Kai high school buddies (minus Dutch, who is in prison). 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. At a local tavern, the Cobra Kai even got into a brawl and won. Tragically, Tommy died in his sleep overnight.

In real life, 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 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 hoped Rob Garrison would reprise his role in season 3, possibly via flashbacks or some other means. 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.

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