Photo: Alamy
The recent passing of Chuck Norris completes a chapter in American culture like no other. He was a man of honor. He believed in living out his faith by protecting the freedoms of others through public service and advocacy.
Martial arts grandmaster and action star Chuck Norris has died, his family said in a statement. He was 86.
— ESPN (@espn) March 20, 2026
Norris was a six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate champion. He founded the United Fighting Arts Federation, as well as a style of karate sometimes… pic.twitter.com/OP5sKM5tgd
It is not often that a Hollywood actor displays such admirable virtues, but Norris did this with a smile. His passion for leading through example shone in everything he did.
Although many fans remember him for his on-screen adventures and wild roundhouse kicks, his journey was much more profound. His mother delivered him after seven days of labor on March 10, 1940, proving that good things truly are worth waiting for. As a child, he and his pregnant mother traveled by train to reunite with his father, who had left to find a new job in California. During the trip, a group of Navy servicemen looked after him and his mother. “My respect for the U.S. military had its beginnings right there on that train,” Norris later wrote in his 2006 autobiography.
When he was 17, he wished to join the Navy, but his mother encouraged him to finish his education. After graduation, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Air Force. It was 1958 and he completed Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base. Norris was stationed at Osan Air Force Base in South Korea as a member of the 6314th Air Police Squadron and served until his honorable discharge in 1962.
He then went on to study martial arts and become a six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate Champion. He founded the United Fighting Arts Federation and was a serious competitor between 1965 and 1980.
Throughout this period, he also began showcasing his fighting skills on screen, dabbling in movies and even creating an instructional karate video. But he is most known for his role in the popular television show, Walker Texas Ranger, where he stood up for law and order in every storyline.
Norris also became a spokesman for the Veterans Administration and the United Way. He supported the Make-A-Wish Foundation in various roles for over two decades and served as a commissioned police officer in Terrell, Texas.
In addition, he enjoyed teaching martial arts and advocating for others to enjoy healthy, balanced lives. He founded companies to support health and emergency preparedness for both humans and dogs, and displayed a MAHA spirit before the Make America Healthy Again movement was even formed.
Younger generations of fans believed in the power of Norris’s strength. This led to a series of memes that showered the internet with hilarious jokes like “When Chuck Norris does a push-up, he isn’t pushing himself up. He’s pushing the earth down,” and “Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.”
Norris enjoyed the honor of these jokes and even collected some of the early favorites in a book in 2009, called The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book, which included his own personal stories to go with the jokes. His sense of humor was well known, as was his light-hearted nature.
But it was Norris’s faith that fueled all of these endeavors. Throughout his successes, he never forgot his mother’s Christian teachings.
In his autobiography, he wrote that although he was raised in poverty and his family struggled with his father’s alcoholism, his mother had strong faith in her beliefs and always told him, “God has a plan for you.” He noted how this helped him through crises when his wife experienced preterm labor with their twins. He explained that no amount of fame or money could fix the issue. He simply had to rely on God. The twins were born healthy, and he was grateful.
This faith led Norris to serve as a motivational speaker for multiple Christian ministries and continue his charitable efforts, which were a way of life for him.
Chuck Norris said it best in his 86th birthday message on Instagram. He celebrated the March 10th milestone in a post with a video of him training. “I don’t age. I level up,” he wrote, adding, “I’m grateful for another year, good health and the chance to keep doing what I love.”
The symbolism of his passing away on the last day of winter shortly after his birthday is not lost on his fans. He knew the warmth was coming, and we would understand that he just leveled up to train with God.