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Chad McQueen, The Karate Kid actor and son of Hollywood legend Steve McQueen, has passed away. He was 63.
His attorney confirmed the news to TMZ, noting he died Wednesday (Sept. 11) at his ranch in Palm Desert, Calif., from organ failure. The actor was surrounded by his wife and children.
The actor sustained an injury during a fall in 2020 that caused him to go into progressive organ failure, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Chad is best known for his supporting Karate Kid role as Dutch, one of the most aggressive members of John Kreese’s Cobra Kai gang.
He later reprised the role in The Karate Kid Part II in 1986; however, his attorney confirmed the actor will not be appearing in Netflix’s series reboot, Cobra Kai, as rumors claimed. Variety noted that “there were talks” for Chad to appear but it did not work out due to “scheduling issues.”
Chad took several smaller roles in films in the ’80s and ’90s, including New York Cop and Surface to Air, but his acting career ultimately ended with the 2001 movie Fall: The Price of Silence. He later executive produced two documentaries about his father, I Am Steve McQueen and Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans.
His father famously starred in several Hollywood classics, including The Great Escape and The Thomas Crown Affair. Steve passed away in 1980 from a heart attack when Chad was 19 years old.
Though he eventually left acting, Chad continued in his father’s footsteps and began racing. He won the World Mini Grand Prix at the age of 12 and went on to compete in several races over the years until he was seriously injured in 2006. He suffered a broken leg and several broken vertebrae, and was in a coma for weeks, according to The Telegraph.
Chad’s second wife, Jeanie Galbraith, and their kids Chase and Madison McQueen issued a statement on his social media after his death: “His remarkable journey as a loving father to us, along with his unwavering commitment to our mother, truly exemplified a life filled with love and dedication.”
Karate Kid and Cobra Kai star Ralph Macchio also praised his former co-star with a statement shared on his Instagram story.
“An OG cobra with an everlasting impact. Thank you for the good times, Chad! You scared the crap out of me in the best way possible,” he wrote.
Chad is survived by Jeanie, and their kids, as well as his son Steven R. McQueen, who starred in The Vampire Diaries.
