Chuck Norris, the martial artist and Hollywood action hero — who became a symbol of tough American masculinity as the star of the CBS series “Walker, Texas Ranger” — has died, his family announced Friday.
The publication specified that the actor and martial artist died on Thursday morning, accompanied by his family.
TMZ reported Thursday that the actor was hospitalized in Hawaii after suffering an unspecified medical mishap.
“Although we are heartbroken, we are deeply grateful for the life he lived and the unforgettable moments we had the joy of sharing with him. The love and support he received from his fans around the world meant the world to him, and our family is truly grateful for it. To him, you were not just fans; you were his friends,” the message reads.
“We know that many of you had heard about his recent hospitalization, and we are sincerely grateful for the prayers and support you extended to him,” the family said.
Carlos Ray “Chuck” Norris was born March 10, 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma; He was the son of a housewife and a World War II veteran, whom he described as an alcoholic. In interviews decades later, Norris recalled feeling shy and unathletic during his childhood, describing his early years in stark terms.
“Most people look at a person at the height of their success and say, ‘Wow, how lucky he was. He was a karate star and then he made movies.’ But it was extremely difficult. Extremely difficult,” Norris told The Los Angeles Times in September 1988.
Later, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He was posted to South Korea, where he adopted the nickname “Chuck” and began studying Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial arts tradition. Upon returning to the United States, he began participating in martial arts competitions, winning a series of highly relevant championships.
Norris also built a reputation as a karate instructor to the stars. He struck up a friendship with Bruce Lee, which earned him his first big-screen role as the Hong Kong star’s opponent in the film The rage of the dragon (The Way of the Dragon). In the climactic scene of this iconic kung-fu film, Lee and Norris’ characters confront each other inside the Colosseum in Rome.
Hollywood icon Steve McQueen encouraged Norris to take acting classes and direct his career toward leading roles. Soon, Norris began racking up credits in 1970s action films such as Breaker! Breaker!, Good Guys Wear Black y A Force of One.
He was best known for his nine-season run as Texas Ranger Sergeant Cordell Walker: a steely-eyed ex-Marine who meted out “Lone Star” justice with roundhouse kicks and a decidedly old-school moral code. The series remains a mainstay of syndicated television.
Norris rose to fame as a martial arts champion and trainer before starring in a number of films, including the 1980s thrillers “Lone Wolf McQuade,” “Missing in Action,” “Code of Silence” and “The Delta Force.”
