Actor and martial arts legend Chuck Norris dies aged 86

Chuck Norris in “Walker, Texas Ranger” in 1993. Picture: X/Twitter Chuck Norris, the US martial artist and Hollywood action star most famous for his role in “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died, his family said Friday. He was 86.

“It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” the family said in a statement on Instagram. “To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.” In the statement, the family said it would like to keep the details of his passing private, adding, “Please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.

The martial arts expert-turned-actor has starred in a slew of action films since his acting debut, a 1968 cameo in the Dean Martin film “The Wrecking Crew“. Four years later, his epic fight with the kung-fu superstar Bruce Lee in “The Way of the Dragon” helped turn Norris into an icon on big and small screens alike. It was a spell at an airbase in South Korea while serving as a young man in the US Air Force that gave Carlos Ray “Chuck” Norris the martial arts bug.

[paywall]

Acquiring a taste for tang soo do, a Korean martial art based on karate, would see Norris, born in Ryan, Oklahoma, on 10 March 1940, propel many an opponent to the mat — and himself to screen idol status. His epic fight with martial arts superstar Bruce Lee in the classic 1972 kung-fu movie “The Way of the Dragon” — which ended up grossing 1 000 times its $130,000 budget — helped turn Norris into a big- and small-screen star.

[/paywall]