Chuck Norris is no more: the actor and martial arts champion has died at 86

The star of Dragon’s Fury, Bad Times for a Cop and Walker, Texas Ranger died in Hawaii on Friday.

Chuck Norris has died at the age of 86. Hospitalized in Hawaii, he died this Friday, his family announced in a press release. “If we wish to maintain the confidentiality of the circumstances, please know that he was surrounded by his family and that he left peacefully. To the world, he was a martial artist, an actor and a symbol of strength. For us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an exceptional brother, and the heart of our family (…) Through his work, his discipline and his kindness, he inspired millions of people around the world and left a lasting imprint on so many lives. »

Born Carlos Ray Norris in Oklahoma, Chuck Norris served in the US Air Force in the late 1950s. It was in South Korea that he discovered martial arts and laid the foundations for his future career as a star of a certain action cinema. Norris had real credibility for him: he was notably a black belt in judo, a 3rd dan black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a 5th dan black belt in karate, an 8th dan black belt in taekwondo, a 9th dan black belt in tang soo do and a 10th dan black belt in chun kuk do (a martial art that he himself had developed).

Ten days ago, for his birthday, he posted another video of himself training:

We obviously remember Chuck Norris as the antagonist of his friend Bruce Lee in Fury of the Dragon in 1972 and gradually became a familiar face in popular American cinema. He appears in films like The Black Tiger Commando, The Fury of the Righteous, An Eye for an Eye and Bad Times for a Cop. Chuck Norris is also the main star of the Cannon in the 80s with notably Delta Force, Missing in Action, Invasion USA and The Golden Temple. So many features which establish the appearance of a man of few words.

Unlike his contemporaries like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis or Jackie Chan, he plays neither irony nor distance, the incarnation of an America that is not very laughing but straight in its boots.

Later, he established himself on television in the series Walker, Texas Ranger, which gave him unprecedented popularity. The character of Cordell Walker, direct heir to his previous roles, becomes for many inseparable from his name. He will then be more discreet on screen, only returning episodically, notably in Expendables 2: Special Unit or Dodgeball! Not even bad! in which he quickly plays his own role. At the same time, his figure, diverted and amplified by Internet culture, then experiences a second life. It then becomes a humorous object through an infinity of memes and absurd stories.

He leaves behind his wife, Gena O’Kelley, his children and grandchildren.