American actor Chuck Norris died Thursday morning in Hawaii. According to TMZ , he was hospitalized shortly before his death .
The family clarified that they wished to keep the matter private. "He was a warrior, an actor and a symbol of strength to the world. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother and the heart of our family," the post said.
Chuck Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma, and grew up in humble circumstances. After graduating from high school in 1958, he joined the U.S. Air Force. While deployed to Korea, he began training in martial arts, including judo and tangsudo.
He also achieved great success in competitions before becoming a film and television star. Norris was a six-time world karate champion in the middleweight division and founded his own style of karate with Korean elements known as Chun Kuk Do.
He also founded the United Martial Arts Federation. Black Belt magazine inducted him into their Hall of Fame with a 10th degree black belt, the highest possible award.
As a martial arts star, he became an actor and debuted in a minor role in the film Demolition Squad (1968). Four years later, he came into his own with Way of the Dragon, starring kung fu star Bruce Lee, and has since starred in a number of action films such as Delta Force and Missing in Action. One of the highlights of his career was the role of Cordell Walker in the successful series Walker, Texas Ranger (1993).
In 1989, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2010 he became an honorary Texas Ranger.