He was a friend of mine

I heard the news today. Oh Boy. An old friend of mine passed away.

A friend I haven't seen for a while.

A friend that helped me through a tough time.

It was 1984 and I was having a tough time adjusting to new surroundings and a new school. My Mom said that I'd fit in in no time. How wrong she was.
I quickly developed a crush on a girl called Ali which landed me in hot water with local lout Johnny. I tried to come to her aid on the beach one night but Johnny and his gaggle of buggers kicked me a new ass using trips and kicks. I was a laughing stock; A new kid in a new town with a black eye and a new enemy.
I had many confrontations with Johnny whilst trying to woo the affections of the alluring Ali. I thought my new life was over until I bumped into a strange old man who liked little trees and old cars. His name was Mr Miyagi and he, through the clever ruse of house hold chores, taught me how to defend myself. This gave me the confidence to go for it with Ali and enter a martial arts tournament where I would finally get some payback on Johnny.

To cut a long and dramatic family-orientated story short, I won the tournament and the respect of my peers using an admittedly weak looking crane kick to the pointy nose of my teenage nemesis. I walked out of the arena with my head (And trophy) held high and the promise of some 'clothes on/clothes off' with Ali. It was the night that I became a big man and it was all thanks to the soulful wisdom of my now-departed friend.
I'll never forget you, Mr Miyagi. Despite everything, we will always have 'Sand the floor, paint the fence, wash my face' and all those other things. I'm going to miss you.

Rest in peace, my old friend.