Chad McQueen, actor, professional race car driver, and son of legendary actor Steve McQueen, has died at the age of 63. He passed away at his ranch in Palm Desert, California, due to complications from organ failure, which developed following an injury several years ago. His death was confirmed by his longtime attorney, Arthur Barens.
He is best known for his role as Dutch, a member of the Cobra Kai dojo in the Karate Kid films. "You're dead meat," he said to the titular character Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio) before they squared off in the final tournament in the film. McQueen briefly reprised his role in The Karate Kid Part II and starred in several other films, including Firepower and New York Cop.
Now in its final season, the Cobra Kai creators confirmed that McQueen did not make it into the final two installments of season six. Still, his character has been brought up several times over the years. He is apparently in prison doing 20 to life for an undisclosed crime on the show.
The Cobra Kai creators had kind words to say about the late actor today.
Hayden Schlossberg:
"RIP Chad McQueen. We tried to get him in Cobra Kai and unfortunately couldn’t make that work but we had fun conversations with him. Karate Kid/Cobra Kai fans will always remember his wild character Dutch. Wishing his family the best during this tough time."
Jon Hurwitz:
"Dutch may have been the purest Cobra of them all. Merciless and dangerous through and through. That’s what we loved about him. And it was all because of Chad McQueen’s performance.
When interviewing writers for Cobra Kai, if the candidate didn’t know who Dutch was, it was an uphill battle for them. If they brought him up unprompted, their chances of making the staff skyrocketed. Dutch was that important to us.
We always wanted Chad McQueen to appear on the show. And it almost happened a couple of times. Chad was torn. His racing injuries limited his capabilities, but he loved the idea of playing again with his pal, @william_zabka. They had so much fun together while making Karate Kid.
Before Season 6, word got to us that Chad had decided he was ready to join the party. Josh, Hayden, and I drove out to his ranch to meet him in person for the very first time. He and his family greeted us warmly. He was as unique and hilarious as we’d heard from Billy all these years.
He took us on a tour of his property and showed us some of the most incredible film and racing memorabilia we’d ever seen in person. The love and respect he had for his father’s work was beautiful to witness.
We left Chad’s place excited and determined to make Dutch’s return special. And yes, we dropped his name in episode 602 partly to keep him fresh in the audience’s mind. We wrote a scene for him much later in the season. Dutch was still badass. The scene had pathos. It would have blown young Jon, Josh, and Hayden’s minds.
Unfortunately, Chad was unable to join us when it came time to shoot. At the end of the day, it wasn’t meant to be. But Dutch will always be remembered as a badass’ badass in the Miyagiverse. He kicked ass. He hated “Danielle.” And he loved writing bikes with his boys.
The fandom mourns a Karate Kid legend today. I’m so grateful I had the honor of spending an afternoon with him. Sending much love and strength to his wonderful family. May Chad rest in peace."
Despite his success in acting, McQueen eventually shifted his focus to racing, a passion he shared with his father.
A skilled racer, McQueen competed in events like the Baja 1000, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the World Mini Grand Prix, which he won at just 12 years old. In 2010, he founded McQueen Racing, a company dedicated to creating custom vehicles, continuing the family’s racing legacy.
McQueen is survived by his life partner, his children Chase, Madison, and Steven, and his extended family.