Chuck Norris, the former martial arts champion and 1980s action-film hero who fought the bad guys in “Code of Silence,” “Missing in Action” and “The Delta Force” and upheld the law in the TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” died on Thursday, his family said in a statement on his Instagram account on Friday.
“While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” the statement read.
Earlier Norris was hospitalized in Hawaii, and TMZ reported, without sharing the exact cause of the medical emergency.
Citing sources with direct knowledge, the publication reported that some medical emergency occurred in the last 24 hours on the island of Kauai, which landed Chuck in the hospital.
“We do not know the nature of the emergency; however, we are told Chuck is in good spirits,” the outlet wrote.
As soon as reports of the actor’s hospitalization emerged online, some people re-shared tabloid reports that claimed the actor had suffered two heart attacks in 2017.
Fans speculated whether his latest medical condition was due to a heart attack.It was reported in July 2017 that, while in Las Vegas for a martial arts event, he collapsed in a hotel shower and was rushed to a hospital.
However, the reports were not carried by reputable news organizations. Notably, Norris, 86, who has written about heart health in his columns, promoting diet and prevention against heart disease as a leading killer, has also not mentioned personal cardiac events.
It remains to be confirmed whether his latest health condition was related to heart issues.
Carlos Ray Norris was born on March 10, 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma, the oldest of three brothers. The family moved to California after his parents divorced.
He was extremely quiet and introverted, which he attributed to his father’s alcoholism and the family’s poverty.
