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Chuck Norris, the martial arts legend whose name became shorthand for action-movie toughness, has died at 86 after being hospitalized in Hawaii, with his family confirming the news in a statement shared Friday.

“While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” they said, calling him “a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength” to the world, but “a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather” at home.

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For a lot of people, Norris was more than just another action star. He came into Hollywood with real martial arts credibility, not just movie polish, first grabbing wider attention after fighting Bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon before turning himself into one of the defining tough-guy faces of late-’70s and ’80s action cinema. Films like Good Guys Wear Black, The Octagon, Lone Wolf McQuade, Missing in Action and The Delta Force made him a fixture of that era’s all-American hero mold.

Then came Walker, Texas Ranger, the CBS series that made him a TV institution. Norris played Cordell Walker from 1993 to 2001, extending his screen life far beyond the action boom and turning himself into a household name for an entirely different generation. Long after his box office peak, that role kept him locked into pop culture, eventually feeding into the absurdly durable “Chuck Norris facts” internet meme era that made him feel both untouchable and strangely timeless.

Born Carlos Ray Norris in Oklahoma in 1940, he served in the U.S. Air Force, began training in martial arts while stationed in Korea, later became a champion karate competitor, and built that discipline into a career that stretched across film, television, publishing and conservative political commentary.

He is survived by his wife, Gena, and his children.

Here are some of his best fight moments:

Chuck Norris v. Bruce Lee — The Way of the Dragon (1972)

Flying kick — Good Guys Wear Black (1978)

Chuck Norris v. David Carradine final fight — Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)

Final Showdown — The Octagon (1980)

Gun car chase scene — The Delta Force (1986)

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