Chuck Norris, the Oklahoma-born martial artist who became one of Hollywood’s most recognisable action stars, has died at the age of 86, his family confirmed in a statement on Instagram. He is survived by his wife Gena O’Kelley and five children.
Born Carlos Ray Norris in 1940, his path to global fame began not in Hollywood but in the US Air Force, where a posting to South Korea introduced him to martial arts. He went on to earn black belts across five disciplines — karate, taekwondo, tang soo do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo — and founded his own system, chun kuk do. His success on the competitive circuit in the 1960s brought him to the attention of Bruce Lee, who cast him as the villain Colt in the 1972 martial arts film The Way of the Dragon.
It was a meeting that changed both men’s careers. Norris later recalled asking Lee who would win their on-screen fight, to which Lee replied he did not simply want to beat the world champion — he wanted to kill him.
A friendship with actor Steve McQueen encouraged Norris to pursue acting more seriously. A string of action films followed through the late 1970s and 1980s, including Missing in Action, Delta Force and Code of Silence, before he landed the role that would define his legacy — Cordell Walker in the CBS series Walker, Texas Ranger, which ran from 1993 to 2001.
His final major screen appearance came in The Expendables 2 in 2012, alongside Sylvester Stallone, who paid tribute following the news of his death, describing Norris as “All American in every way” and a “great man”. Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren said he had always looked up to Norris as a role model.
US President Donald Trump also responded to the news, saying he had “the highest respect” for Norris and calling him “a really tough cookie.”
His daughter Danilee Norris said her father’s warrior image belied a deeply loving nature, while his granddaughter Greta described losing both a global icon and her grandfather.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the state had lost a legend, crediting Norris with embodying the toughness, grit and patriotism that defined the state’s identity.
In his later years, Norris became an unlikely internet phenomenon, with the “Chuck Norris facts” meme series — a collection of jokes exaggerating his toughness — spreading widely online and introducing him to a new generation of fans.
Norris had been admitted to a hospital in Hawaii for a medical emergency shortly before his death, according to reports. No further details regarding the circumstances have been released by his family.
