According to the family, Chuck Norris, whose real name was Carlos Ray Norris Jr., died “suddenly” on Thursday morning. The cause of death was not made public.

In the video: In his last video, Chuck Norris was still in great shape

Family: Chuck Norris “suddenly passed away”

A statement said: “It is with heavy hearts that our family announces that our beloved Chuck Norris passed away suddenly yesterday (Thursday) morning. While we would like to keep the circumstances private, we want to assure you that he was surrounded by his family and left in peace.”

“To the world, he was a martial artist, actor and symbol of strength,” the family wrote. “To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother and the heart of our family.” The last one was over one The American’s hospitalization was reportedhere too without details. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick also condoled on Facebook, calling Norris a “friend and American icon.”

Norris celebrated his 86th birthday on March 10th. To mark the occasion, he released a video showing him boxing. He wrote, based on the Chuck Norris jokes that were popular in the 2000s: “I’m not getting any older. I’m moving up a level.”

Norris continued to act into old age, although recently he acted less and less. He usually let his fists fly on screen. In 2012, he appeared in “The Expendables 2” as a senior member of the veteran squad alongside Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. He became famous in Germany in particular for his long-term role as law enforcement officer Cordell Walker in the TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger”.

Starting in 1993, he played the all-American ranger in Texas, who advocates for law and order, for more than eight years. The conservative star and gun lover has always been able to rely on a loyal fan base. In pop culture, new so-called Chuck Norris jokes have been invented, in which Norris actually achieves impossible things or can always outdo someone.

Norris grew up in a religious family in rural Oklahoma, and as a young soldier he discovered the Tang Soo Do variety of karate in Korea. As a martial arts instructor, he became known in the martial arts scene in the 1960s. He was the middleweight karate world champion for several years, and finally made the leap to Hollywood through martial arts friends like Bruce Lee and Steve McQueen.