Chuck Norris, action hero and ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ star, has died

(CNN) — Chuck Norris, veteran, martial arts world champion, action hero and early 2000s Internet meme inspiration, whose rugged demeanor was immortalized on hit show “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died. He was 86.

“It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” read a message credited to the Norris family posted to Instagram and Facebook Friday morning. “While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.”

Norris had an unidentified medical emergency in Hawaii on Thursday, according to news reports. The family thanked fans for their prayers during his hospitalization.

“He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved,” the post read. “Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives.”

Beginnings

The ultimate tough guy, Norris’ first memorable acting role was as Bruce Lee’s formidable opponent in the 1972 film “The Way of the Dragon,” before he landed his first leading role five years later as a truck driver searching for his missing brother in “Breaker! Breaker!”

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Norris made a name for himself as a rugged action hero in movies like “Missing in Action” and “Delta Force,” marking his place in pop culture with an always-stoic countenance and lines like “My kind of trouble doesn’t take vacations” (from 1983’s “Lone Wolf McQuade”).

With his film career cooling off in the 90s, Norris made the switch to television. He won new fans with his long-running series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which ran from 1993 to 2001.

In the show, Norris played Cordell Walker, a veteran Texas Ranger who fights crime in Dallas and throughout the Lone Star State. Norris was nominated for a TV Guide Award as favorite actor in a drama in 1999.

Mastering the martial arts

Carlos Ray “Chuck” Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma, to Irish American and Cherokee Native American parents. Following his parents’ divorce, Norris, his mother and two younger brothers relocated to Prairie Village, Kansas, and then to Torrance, California, according to his Walk of Fame profile.

Norris became acquainted with the world of martial arts while stationed in Korea with the US Airforce in the late 1950s, according to the military. “I started training over there, and then I came back and got out of the service and started teaching. And to get students in my school, I became a karate fighter,” Norris once told Mike Douglas on CNN’s “People Now.”

He even founded his own style of karate, the Chuck Norris System™, originally based on his Tang Soo Do training while serving in Korea.

Among Norris’ many students were Priscilla Presley, the Osmonds, Steve McQueen and Bob Barker, who famously recounted incurring cracked ribs after being kicked in the side by Norris during training.

“I retired as the world karate champion, and I was looking for something to get involved in, a new goal for myself. And I thought about acting,” Norris told CNN in 1982. “I talked to Steve McQueen about it, and he encouraged me to pursue it. He said, if I would apply myself like I did the martial arts, that I would maybe have a chance at it.”

This story is developing and will be updated with additional information.