Chuck Norris, the veteran actor, martial arts champion, and internet sensation whose iconic role on “Walker, Texas Ranger” cemented his status as a symbol of American masculinity, has died. He was 86.
“It’s with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” read a statement posted to Instagram and Facebook on Friday morning. “While we would like to preserve the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.”
News reports indicated Norris experienced a medical emergency in Hawaii on Thursday. His family thanked fans for their support and prayers during his hospitalization.
“He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved,” the family’s statement continued. “Through his function, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives.”
CNN has reached out to representatives for the actor for comment.
Norris first gained recognition with a memorable role as the formidable opponent to Bruce Lee in the 1972 film “The Way of the Dragon,” before landing his first leading role in 1977’s “Breaker! Breaker!”
Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, Norris established himself as a leading action star in films like “Missing in Action” and “Delta Force,” becoming known for his stoic demeanor and iconic lines.
As his film career waned in the ‘90s, Norris transitioned to television, finding a new audience with his long-running series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which aired from 1993 to 2001. The show remains a popular fixture in television syndication.
In the series, Norris portrayed Cordell Walker, a veteran Texas Ranger dedicated to upholding the law throughout the Lone Star State. He received a TV Guide Award nomination for favorite actor in a drama in 1999.
Born Carlos Ray “Chuck” Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma, to parents of Irish American and Cherokee Native American descent, he later moved with his family to Kansas and then California, according to his Hollywood Walk of Fame profile.
Norris’ journey into martial arts began while stationed in Korea with the US Air Force in the late 1950s, according to the military. “I started training over there, and then I came back and got out of the service and started teaching. And to get students in my school, I became a karate fighter,” Norris once explained.
He founded his own martial arts style, the Chuck Norris System™, based on his training in Tang Soo Do during his time in Korea.
Among his students were notable figures like Priscilla Presley, the Osmonds, Steve McQueen, and Bob Barker, who recounted receiving a rib-cracking kick from Norris during training.
“I retired as the world karate champion, and I was looking for something to get involved in, a new goal for myself. And I thought about acting,” Norris said in a 1982 CNN interview. “I talked to Steve McQueen about it, and he encouraged me to pursue it. He said, if I would apply myself like I did the martial arts, that I would maybe have a chance at it.”
Norris appeared in numerous films showcasing his martial arts skills, and later starred in eight seasons of “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
“The type of films I want to do is — a good story, with good acting, with good direction, and with martial arts scenes inserted when it’s emotionally right,” Norris once told David Letterman. “The difference between violence and action is the philosophy of when you use it. And if a person tries to avoid a violent confrontation — but he’s finally pushed into the corner where there’s no way out — well, then we want to have the ability to cope with it. And that’s basically the character I project on the screen, is the guy that tries to avoid it.”
In 2010, Norris was named an honorary member of the Texas Rangers by then-Governor Rick Perry, according to CNN affiliate WFAA, a nod to his iconic television role.
Norris’ tough-guy persona also inspired the early internet phenomenon known as “Chuck Norris facts,” a collection of hyperbolic statements highlighting his legendary strength and resilience, as reported by People.
“A kid from Brown University started sending these Chuck Norris facts around via e-mail,” Norris told Time in 2008. “I’m reading them and going, hey, these are pretty doggone funny. My favorite was, ‘They wanted to put Chuck Norris on Mt. Rushmore, but the granite wasn’t tough enough for his beard.’ I figured they’d just last a couple weeks; it amazes me this has gone on for so long.”
A longtime Republican and devout Christian who endorsed Mike Huckabee for president twice, Norris also shared that military personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan created their own “Chuck Norris facts.” “That’s actually how I got to Iraq in the first place — the troops started bugging their commanders,” he said. “When I arrived in Iraq, I saw a sign that said, ‘Chuck Norris is here. We can now head home.’ Man, I wished that was the truth.”
With his signature tough-guy persona, Norris also made cameo appearances in projects where he played a version of himself, including a role in 2012’s “The Expendables 2” alongside Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Jet Li.
In 1990, with the aid of then-President George H.W. Bush, Norris founded Kickstart Kids, an award-winning in-school program that uses karate to instill character development in middle and high school students.
“KSK has prevented more crime and freed up more prison space than any program I have seen in 35 years of law enforcement,” said Tarrant County, Texas Sheriff Bill E. Waybourn.
Norris often stated his belief that widespread knowledge of karate could reduce violence. “Everyone thinks of karate strictly as a physical application, but what it does is — it strengthens you mentally, psychologically, and emotionally, because most violence is stemmed from insecurity, trying to prove something to yourself,” he told Letterman. “And when a person develops this inner security, and this goal, seeking knowledge that the martial arts teaches you to do, it overcomes a lot of violent confrontations.”
