American actor Chuck Norris, a martial arts champion, has just died at the age of 86.
He was thought to be immortal. American actor Chuck Norris, a martial arts champion, has just died at the age of 86, according to the actor’s official Facebook account this Friday, March 20. He had been hospitalized the day before after falling ill.
“With heavy hearts, our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning. While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace. To the world, he was a martial artist, an actor, and a symbol of strength,” his family wrote on Facebook.
“To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family. He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved. Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions of people around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives.”
Karate Champion
A respected martial arts champion and film star, Carlos Ray Norris—his real name—was not destined for fame. Born in 1940 in Ryan, a small town in Oklahoma, he grew up with his two brothers in a family plagued by financial difficulties, with a father who was a mechanic, alcoholic, and absent.
It was during his military service that the young man, then reserved and not very athletic, discovered a passion for martial arts. Sent to Korea in the late 1950s, he began learning Tang Soo Do, a traditional Korean martial art. Upon returning to the United States, he started training seriously, opened his first karate schools in Los Angeles, and entered competitions.
A black belt in judo, he also held a 3rd-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a 5th-degree black belt in karate, an 8th-degree black belt in taekwondo, a 9th-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, and a 10th-degree black belt in Chun Kuk Do.
“The luck I had, I created it. I was never a natural athlete, but I paid my dues with sweat and focus, and I took the time necessary to learn karate and become a world champion,” he said in his autobiography The Secret of Inner Strength (1989).
Quickly becoming one of the most feared karate competitors, he won his first world title in 1968—a title he held until 1974, when he retired undefeated.
Action Movie Star
It was on a tatami mat that he crossed paths with Bruce Lee, who was looking for a credible opponent for his film The Way of the Dragon and chose Chuck Norris.
The fight scene between the two men, filmed in the Colosseum in Rome in 1972, remains one of the most famous in martial arts cinema history. The film was a hit in Hong Kong and the United States, marking the beginning of Chuck Norris’s Hollywood career.
Though he did not have the charm of Al Pacino or the presence of Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris stood apart from the antiheroes popular at the time. Unlike Bruce Willis, Jackie Chan, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, he maintained a serious tone and stayed away from humor.
During the 1970s and 1980s, he starred in B-movies such as Good Guys Wear Black, A Force of One, An Eye for an Eye, Lone Wolf McQuade, and Code of Silence, followed by Delta Force in 1990. His last film appearance was in 2012 in The Expendables 2 alongside his friend Sylvester Stallone.
From Television to the Internet
Television gave him his longest-lasting success. Walker, Texas Ranger, launched in 1993 on CBS, became a phenomenon. Over eight seasons and 203 episodes, Norris played Cordell Walker, a Texas Ranger as effective on horseback as he was with his fists, embodying a rural, Christian, and uncompromising vision of America.
The series was mocked by critics but adored by audiences. At its peak, it drew more than 25 million viewers each week. In France, it also became an unexpected hit on TF1.
Republican and Conservative Beliefs
Off-screen, Chuck Norris never hid his convictions. A devout evangelical Christian and an outspoken Republican, he openly supported George W. Bush and later Mike Huckabee during the 2008 primaries.
For several years, he also wrote editorials in the American conservative press. These positions earned him both admiration in some circles and criticism in others, though he never seemed affected by it.
In recent years, Chuck Norris had largely withdrawn from public life. His wife, Gena O’Kelley, whom he married in 1998, had been seriously ill, and he devoted most of his time to caring for her. He would occasionally share updates on social media, posting photos from his Texas ranch or messages of support to his fans.
