Chuck Norris, iconic Hollywood action star, dies at 86

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.

Norris was hospitalised in Hawaii on Thursday, and his family posted a statement on Friday saying he had died that morning. "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.

Chuck Norris started out as a martial arts champion before Hollywood came calling. He built his name in action films throughout the 1970s and 80s, playing tough, no-nonsense characters who always got the job done.

His big break came when he starred alongside Bruce Lee in Way of the Dragon in 1972. From there, he never looked back. Films like Good Guys Wear Black, An Eye for an Eye and Forced Vengeance established him as a serious action star.

He then took on some of his most memorable roles in Missing in Action, Delta Force and Invasion U.S.A., where he played one-man armies taking on enemies single-handedly.

He also appeared in The Expendables 2 alongside Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, proving he still had plenty of pulling power even later in his career.

But it was his role as Cordell Walker in Walker, Texas Ranger that truly cemented his place in pop culture. The show ran for nearly a decade from 1993 and was watched by millions every week around the world.

Off screen, Norris became something of a legend in his own right — so much so that the internet spawned an entire genre of jokes in his honour, known as "Chuck Norris facts." Lines like "Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down" gave him a second wave of fame with a whole new generation.

He was also known for his Christian faith and his support for various charitable causes throughout his life.