Chuck Norris, the world martial arts champion who became a cultural icon through his time in martial arts and Hollywood, has died. The American was 86 years old.
Norris was hospitalized yesterday in Hawaii, and his family issued a statement this Friday morning confirming his passing.
“While we would prefer to keep the circumstances private, we want to let you know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” his family wrote.
As an action star, Norris earned a credibility that many others could not.
Not only did he face the legendary Bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon in 1972, but he was also a genuine martial arts champion, holding a black belt in Judo, a 3rd Dan black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a 5th Dan black belt in Karate, an 8th Dan in Tae Kwon Do, a 9th Dan black belt in Tang Soo Do, and a 10th Dan black belt in Chun Kuk Do.
Norris gained prominence between the 1970s and 1980s, starring in the films The Delta Force and Missing in Action, Good Guys Wear Black (1978), The Octagon (1980), Lone Wolf McQuade (1983), Code of Silence (1985), and Firewalker(1986).
Chuck also made an appearance in The Expendables 2 in 2012 after a seven-year absence from the screen.
Although he enjoyed great credibility, Norris proved he could be multifaceted and venture into comedy, much like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Jackie Chan did.
But fate decided that he would end up becoming the quintessential American icon.
As his film career began to decline, he decided to venture into television series, starring in Walker, Texas Ranger on CBS. The show ran from 1993 to 2001, and also had movie sequels.
In later years, Norris became a cultural icon due to the frequent memes associated with his persona.
Carlos Ray Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma; his father was a soldier in World War II. In 1958, he decided to join the Air Force.
It was only a matter of time before Norris made his big-screen debut in 1969 with a role in The Wrecking Crew. Norris met Bruce Lee at a martial arts exhibition in Long Beach, California, taking on the role of his nemesis in The Way of the Dragon in 1962. In 1974, McQueen encouraged Norris to start taking acting classes at MGM.
While serving at the Osan Air Base in South Korea, Norris acquired the nickname ‘Chuck’ and began training in Tang Soo Do, where he promoted the hybrid style Chun Kuk Do.
When he returned to the United States, he spent some time at the March Air Force Base in California.
Following his discharge in 1962, Norris worked for the aerospace corporation Northrop. He also opened several karate academies, with high-profile students such as Steve McQueen, Chad McQueen, Priscilla Presley, and Donny and Marie Osmond.
Norris had his first starring role in 1977 in Breaker! Breaker!, where he played a truck driver searching for his brother, who had disappeared in a town with a corrupt judge.
The actor proved that his first big break was not in vain, with Good Guys Wear Black (1978), The Octagon (1980), An Eye for an Eye (1981), and Lone Wolf McQuade.
In 1984, Norris began starring in films for Cannon Films. Over the next four years, he became the film studio’s most successful star.
With eight films. In two of them, Aaron Norris was the producer of those feature films, just as he was also a producer for Walker, Texas Ranger.
He was not absent from MMA, helping to promote the discipline during a time when it struggled to gain public acceptance due to criticism from the political spectrum.
Prior to the first edition of the UFC, Rorion Gracie contacted Chuck Norris, offering him the opportunity to be one of the investors in the octagon.
For his part, he chose to decline the offer. An understandable decision due to the social stigma that MMA had at the time.
Additionally, his presence did not go unnoticed among the celebrities who attended the Pride FC 33: The Second Comingfight card, where Wanderlei Silva defended his belt against Dan Henderson.
The American did not hide his conservative political preferences, writing books on Christianity and Patriotism.
In his personal life, he was married twice. The first time to Dianne Holecheck in 1958 until their divorce in 1988.
At the time of his passing, he was with his second wife Gena O’Kelley, whom he married in 1988, with whom he had two sons, Eric and Mike, and his daughters Dakota, Danilee, and Gina, as well as several grandchildren, one of whom will undoubtedly carry on his legacy.
Chuck Norris’s legacy goes beyond his time in television or martial arts; it is defined by the way his name managed to remain relevant, always associated with physical well-being and encouraging martial arts in daily life.
From Fajador Media, our condolences to the Norris family.
