Tributes have been paid to martial arts icon and action movie star Chuck Norris, who has died aged 86.
The Hollywood actor was remembered by US President Donald Trump, as well as a host of celebrities and his own family, who called him a “warrior” with a heart “full of love”.
Norris saw a resurgence in popularity after an early internet meme – consisting of jokes presented as “facts” exaggerating his strength and abilities – propelled him to online fame in the mid-2000s.
Born in Oklahoma in 1940, Norris joined the US Air Force in his late teens and began training in martial arts while stationed in South Korea, eventually earning a black belt and becoming a six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate champion.
After transitioning into acting, Norris landed his breakthrough role in The Way of the Dragon in 1972 opposite Bruce Lee, before going on to star in more than 20 movies, including Missing in Action and The Delta Force.
His role in long-running TV series Walker, Texas Ranger cemented his fame.
Norris’s family shared the news of the actor’s “sudden passing” just days after his 86th birthday on Friday, describing him as “the heart of our family” who lived with “faith, purpose and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved”.
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“While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” his family said.
The US president joined in the tributes to the movie star, telling reporters outside the White House that Norris was a “great guy” and “tough cookie”.
“You didn’t want to fight him, I’ll tell you,” Trump said.
Norris’s daughter, Danielle, said: “He may have a warrior exterior, but his heart was so full of love and I’m so grateful that is something he and my mom passed down to me.”
One of his grandchildren, Greta, paid a tribute to the actor in a post on Instagram that referenced the “Chuck Norris facts” genre of internet joke that played on Norris’s persona as a tough guy and invincible fighter.
“You all knew Chuck Norris as the man that counted to infinity twice, the man who got bit by a cobra and the cobra died,” she said.
“He was the man that would not do a push-up but would push the earth down.
“Chuck Norris was known for many amazing things, but what I am most proud of is I got to know him as my Papa.”
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Action stars Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren paid tribute to Norris, who they all starred alongside in The Expendables 2 in 2012.
In his final Facebook post shared on 10 March to mark his birthday, Norris said: “I don’t age. I level up.”
“I’m grateful for another year, good health and the chance to keep doing what I love,” he added.
Political conservative and meme legend
Shortly after an appearance in the 2004 film Dodgeball, Norris became the focus of an early viral internet meme that would propel him to a new level of fame.
The format of the joke presented wildly hyperbolic statements about his strength and prowess as facts, such as “Chuck Norris had a staring contest with the sun – and won”.
Another one reads: “The flu gets a Chuck Norris shot every year”.
Norris has also been outspoken about his conservative views, including support for gun rights.
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He endorsed Donald Trump for his first presidential run in 2016.
Norris is survived by his wife Gena O’Kelley, five children and 13 grandchildren.
