Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” is a follow-up to the famous “Karate Kid” movies and a spin-off series in its own right. The series takes place 34 years after Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) beat Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) in the 1984 All-Valley Karate Tournament. At first, it’s about Johnny’s efforts to bring back the dojo’s name. The original movies showed things from Goku’s point of view, but “Cobra Kai” shows things from Johnny’s point of view. But as time goes on and characters like John Kreese and Terry Silver show up again, Cobra Kai once again becomes a bad group.
“Playing with Fire,” the third episode of the fifth season of “Cobra Kai,” is a tribute to Jeff Kay. Here is all the information you need about Jeff Kay.
Who Was Jeff Kay?
Jeff Kay was an assistant director, a producer, and the person in charge of the production. Kay started his career in 1992 as a second assistant director on the movie “Wishman.” Over the next few years, he also worked on “Funny Bones,” “Born to be Wild,” and “Courage Under Fire.” His first TV project was the 1996 telefilm “A Season in Purgatory.”
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Kay was the second assistant director on the TV show “Profiler” from 1996 to 1998. In 1998, he was the first assistant director on one episode of the show. In the years that followed, he worked on shows like “Birds of Prey,” “Entourage,” “Numb3rs,” “Drop Dead Diva,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Training Day,” “Champaign, Illinois,” and “American Housewife.”
Kay was the production manager for several of the projects listed above, including “Numb3rs.” He also produced two episodes of the 2010 TV miniseries “Marry Me.” Even though it doesn’t look like Kay was involved in the making of “Cobra Kai,” he had a long list of credits after 20 years in the business.
How Did Jeff Kay Die?
Reports say that Kay died “suddenly” in October 2021. After that, people from all over the entertainment business sent their condolences. Diedrich Bader, an actor, wrote on Twitter, “My friend Jeff Kay, who was a longtime assistant director on @AmericanWifeABC, passed away today. He was a beautiful, happy, happy-go-lucky ray of light who brought nothing but happiness to every moment. The world is a darker place without him, and everyone who knew him is better off because of it. RIP.”
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Actress Meg Donnelly, who worked with Kay on “American Wife,” posted a video on Twitter of Kay talking to the cast and crew. She wrote, “Our beloved Jeff Kay, who is speaking in this video, was the 1 AD and part of our beautiful “American Housewife” family. He passed away suddenly, and our family is mourning this huge loss. His positive attitude was so infectious, and he never failed to make us all laugh.
The actor Jason Dolley, who worked with Kay on “American Housewife,” replied to Bader’s tweet by saying, “I am so very sorry to hear this. Jeff was so friendly and easy to talk to. I only worked with him a few times, but I have such a good memory of him. Sorry about what happened, Diedrich.”
During his 26-year career, it’s clear that Kay’s work, humility, and love for his craft touched a lot of people. There is no doubt that generations of moviegoers and TV viewers will continue to love his work in the years to come.