LOS ANGELES – Chuck Norris, the martial arts icon and actor best known for his starring role in the television series Walker, Texas Ranger, has died, his family announced on Wednesday, March 20. He was 86 years old.
Norris passed away on the morning of March 19, according to a statement posted on Instagram, following reports that he had been hospitalized during a vacation in Hawaii. “To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength,” the family statement read. “To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.” The family requested privacy regarding the details of his death, stating he was “surrounded by his family and was at peace.”
Tributes to Norris began immediately. Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated, “All of Texas mourns the passing of Chuck Norris. He was not only a martial arts champion, action icon, and the one and only Walker, Texas Ranger.” Action film star Jean-Claude Van Damme offered his condolences, saying, “My heart and prayers are with his family. He will never be forgotten.”
Born Carlos Ray Norris on March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma, Norris began his martial arts training while serving in the U.S. Air Force in South Korea. He established a martial arts studio in Los Angeles after leaving the Air Force in 1962, focusing on teaching and developing his signature roundhouse kick.
Norris’s acting career began with a cameo in the 1968 Dean Martin film, The Wrecking Crew. His breakthrough role came in 1972, with a fight scene alongside Bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon, which propelled him to prominence in both film and television. He subsequently starred in a series of martial arts films, including Good Guys Wear Black and Silent Rage.
Throughout his career, Norris achieved significant success in the world of martial arts, winning six world professional middleweight karate championships between 1968 and 1974 and earning black belts in multiple disciplines.
In 1983, Norris took on the role of Cordell Walker in Lone Wolf McQuade, a character that would later define his career with the television series Walker, Texas Ranger. The show, which ran for eight seasons, became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring countless jokes and internet memes.
Norris was an evangelical Christian, raised primarily by his Irish mother after his parents’ divorce. He had two sons from his 30-year marriage to Dianne Holechek, and a son and daughter with his second wife, Gena O’Kelley. He also had a daughter from an extramarital affair during his first marriage.
A vocal Republican, Norris publicly endorsed political candidates and expressed his views on international affairs. In 2012, he urged Americans to vote against Barack Obama. A year later, he voiced his support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video message. Following Norris’s death, Netanyahu described him as “a great friend of Israel and a close personal friend,” adding that Norris “brought martial arts and the warmth of his character to millions around the world.”
Norris experienced health challenges in recent years, recovering from two cardiac arrests in 2017. He also faced controversy in 2019 when he became a spokesperson for Glock, a firearms manufacturer, amid ongoing debate about gun violence in the United States.
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