Chuck Norris, the martial arts champion turned Hollywood action star whose iron-jawed persona made him one of the defining icons of 1980s cinema, died Friday morning. He was 86.
According to Variety, Mr. Norris had been hospitalized in Hawaii on Thursday. His family announced his death Friday in a statement posted to his official Instagram account, saying he was surrounded by loved ones and at peace. The family asked for privacy and declined to disclose the cause of death.
“To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength,” the family wrote. “To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.”
Born Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma, he enlisted in the Air Force in 1958 and was stationed at Osan Air Base in South Korea, where he began training in Tang Soo Do — the foundation of a martial arts career that would eventually earn him black belts across six disciplines. After his 1962 discharge, he opened a chain of karate schools whose celebrity clientele included Steve McQueen and Bob Barker.
McQueen, who had been taking private lessons from Norris for years, eventually urged him to try acting, telling him: “You either have a certain presence that comes across on the screen, or you don’t. I think you may have it.”
He took the advice. Mr. Norris made his screen debut in an uncredited role in the 1969 film “The Wrecking Crew” before landing his most famous early role opposite Bruce Lee in the 1972 martial arts film “The Way of the Dragon.”
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The two had met at a martial arts demonstration and developed both a friendship and a working relationship that culminated in their iconic Colosseum fight sequence. His starring debut came with the 1977 action film “Breaker! Breaker!” and he quickly proved his box office appeal with a prolific run of films throughout the late 1970s and ’80s, including “Good Guys Wear Black” (1978), “The Octagon” (1980), “Lone Wolf McQuade” (1983) and “Code of Silence” (1985), which many critics considered the finest work of his career.
A prolific run of action films followed throughout the late 1970s and ’80s, including the “Missing in Action” series and “Code of Silence.” He later found perhaps his widest audience on CBS’ long-running “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which aired from 1993 to 2001.
Mr. Norris is survived by his wife, Gena O’Kelley; sons Eric and Mike; daughters Dakota, Danilee and Dina; and several grandchildren.
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