Honolulu, United States. Chuck Norris died on Friday morning in Hawaii, his family confirmed. He was 86.
Family statement
The family said Norris had been hospitalised the previous day and was surrounded by loved ones when he died. They asked that the circumstances of his death remain private.
“To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength,” they said. “To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.”
Martial arts background
Norris held black belts across six martial arts disciplines, including an 8th degree in Taekwondo, a 9th degree in Tang Soo Do, and a 10th degree in Chun Kuk Do, a hybrid style he developed. He earned those credentials before beginning his Hollywood career.
Early life and entry into film
Born Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma, he discovered martial arts while stationed at Osan Air Base in South Korea during his US Air Force service in the late 1950s. After his discharge in 1962, he opened a chain of karate schools in California, where Steve McQueen was among his students, and McQueen encouraged him to pursue acting.
Norris gained wider attention after playing the nemesis of Bruce Lee’s character in the 1972 film “The Way of the Dragon.”
Film career
Through the late 1970s and 1980s, Norris became a prominent action star. He made eight films for Cannon Films from 1984, including the “Missing in Action” series, in which he played a soldier rescuing American POWs from Vietnam, and “Code of Silence” (1985), widely regarded as his best work.
The “Missing in Action” films carried personal significance, as his younger brother Wieland was killed while serving in Vietnam.
Television and later recognition
As his film career slowed, Norris moved to television. “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which ran on CBS from 1993 to 2001, became one of his most remembered roles, with the show running for eight seasons.
In later decades, he gained renewed attention through internet memes attributing exaggerated abilities to him, and he appeared to take them in good humour.
Survivors
Norris is survived by his wife Gena O’Kelley; sons Eric and Mike; daughters Dakota, Danilee and Dina; and a number of grandchildren.
What is your strongest memory of Chuck Norris’s work on screen?
