Chuck Norris, the American martial artist and Hollywood action star best known for his role in the television series Walker, Texas Ranger, has died at the age of 86, his family announced on Friday.
“With heavy hearts, our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” the family said in a statement posted on Instagram.
“For the world, he was a martial artist, actor and symbol of strength. For us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, a wonderful brother and the heart of our family,” the statement added.
US media reported that Norris had been hospitalised on the island of Kauai with an undisclosed condition, just days after celebrating his 86th birthday. In a social media video, he was seen boxing and joking, “I don’t age. I level up.”
The family said it wished to keep details of his death private, noting that he was “surrounded by his family and was at peace”.
An enduring legacy
Norris rose to fame as a martial arts expert before transitioning to film, making his debut with a small role in the 1968 film The Wrecking Crew alongside Dean Martin.
His breakthrough came four years later with his appearance opposite kung fu superstar Bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon, a performance that cemented his status as an action icon.
He went on to star in a string of action films, including Good Guys Wear Black and Silent Rage, often portraying tough, disciplined characters rooted in his martial arts background.
In 1983, he played a taciturn Texas Ranger battling an arms dealer in Lone Wolf McQuade, a role that later inspired Walker, Texas Ranger, the long-running television series that further cemented his popularity.
The show ran for eight seasons and became a cultural phenomenon, spawning countless jokes and internet memes that contributed to Norris’s enduring legacy as a larger-than-life figure in popular culture.