If there was anyone we thought would live forever, it was legendary martial artist and actor Chuck Norris. Unfortunately, he, too, is a mortal, and Norris has passed away at the age of 86.
🕊️ Chuck Norris has died at 86. https://t.co/iEc9C997Ik pic.twitter.com/h3FrMFOogo
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 20, 2026
He died Thursday morning in Hawaii, according to the family, who said, "It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday [Thursday] morning. While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace."
The post reads ... "He lived life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved."
Norris was hospitalized yesterday in Hawaii following a "medical emergency."
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Chuck Norris has been hospitalized after a medical emergency in Hawaii.
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 19, 2026
What we know: https://t.co/wWK8lZIpda pic.twitter.com/hNC5fMn8yR
Carlos Ray Norris was born in Oklahoma in 1940 to Wilma Lee and Ray Norris and was the oldest of three brothers. He was named after Carlos Berry, his father's minister. Norris' parents divorced when he was 16 and he relocated to Prairie Village, Kansas and later to Torrance, California with his mother and siblings. His younger brother, Wieland, died in 1970 in the Vietnam War.
BREAKING: Chuck Norris, the actor and martial artist known for a string of hit action movies and the series "Walker, Texas Ranger," has died, according to his family. He was 86.
— ABC News (@ABC) March 20, 2026
Read more: https://t.co/JcibAaNk2o pic.twitter.com/eCcHzoSkI6
In 1958, Norris joined the United States Air Force as an Air Policeman (AP) and was assigned to the Osan Air Base in South Korea. It was there that he was given the nickname "Chuck" and began training in the martial art of Tang Soo Do.
He was assigned as an AP at March Air Force Base in California and was discharged in 1962 with the rank of Airman First Class. He applied to be a police officer in Torrance, California and opened up a martial arts studio while on the waiting list to be hired.
Chuck Norris, the martial arts champion who became an iconic action star and led the hit series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died. He was 86.
— Variety (@Variety) March 20, 2026
Norris was hospitalized in Hawaii on Thursday, and his family posted a statement saying he had died Friday morning:
It is with heavy… pic.twitter.com/eZnLC6o3kl
Through the 1960s, Norris competed in martial arts competitions and was defeated in his first two tournaments. He won a karate competition in 1967 and in June was declared the champion at S. Henry Cho's All-American Karate Championship at Madison Square Garden. It was during this time he worked for the Northrop Corporation and opened up a chain of karate schools.
Those schools boasted a list of celebrity clients, including Steve and Chad McQueen, Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley, and Donny and Marie Osmond.
🚨 BREAKING: Chuck Norris has passed away at the age of 86, following his hospitalization yesterday in Hawaii
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 20, 2026
Rest easy, Chuck!
We lost an American legend today 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/gGe6cOSfqL
In 1972, Norris broke into acting as Bruce Lee's nemesis in "Way of the Dragon" (titled "Return of the Dragon" in U.S. distribution). The following year he acted in Jonathan Kaplan's "The Student Teachers."
Steve McQueen encouraged Norris to take acting classes at MGM in 1974, and Norris starred in Lo Wei's "Yellow Faced Tiger."
I'll always remember Chuck Norris as the man who changed the course of dodgeball history by casting the deciding vote that allowed Average Joes to play in the championship of the Las Vegas International Dodgeball Open where they upset the heavily favored Globo Gym Purple Cobras.… pic.twitter.com/X2urhv236o
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 20, 2026
From 1979 to 1983, Norris became a major action film star, including "A Force of One" (1979), "The Octagon" (1980), "An Eye for an Eye" (1981), "Silent Rage" (1982) and "Lone Wolf McQuade" (1983) and others.
It was that last movie that inspired his hit television show "Walker, Texas Ranger."
American martial artist and actor Chuck Norris has passed away at the age of 86years 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/i0Helb3bSz
— ThatOjoBoy (@ThatOjoBoy) March 20, 2026
From the late 80s through the 2000s, Norris appeared in several films and television shows including "DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story" (2004).
You accompanied my childhood with the series Walker Texas Rangers broadcast every Sunday on TF1.
— Sayko🇫🇷 (@AwSonny_) March 20, 2026
Know that I will never forget you Chuck Norris and I wish you to rest in peace. 🕊️💔🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/FzFctPrPlg
In 2005, Norris founded the World Combat League, a full-contact, team-based martial arts competition.
— Frieza, Most Powerful Being In the Universe (@haz_beard) March 20, 2026
Norris married Dianne Holecheck in 1958; they were classmates at North High School in Torrance and had two children together, Mike and Eric. They divorced in 1989. In 1998, Norris married Gena O'Kelley and had two children, fraternal twins Dakota and Danilee. Norris also has a daughter, Dina, who was born while he was stationed in California in the 1960s.
Norris was an outspoken Christian, as well as a Republican and conservative. He was also a philanthropist who founded the Kickstart Kids organization and the United Fighting Arts Federation.
At some point, Chuck Norris stopped being just a martial artist and actor and became a full-blown American myth—complete with a catalog of jokes that treated him as indestructible. So when word spread yesterday that he was hospitalized in Hawaii, people didn’t panic—they joked that “the hospital is expected to recover.”
Norris is survived by his wife, his children, and many grandchildren, as well as legions of fans around the world.
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