"It is with a heavy heart that our family shares that our beloved Chuck Norris passed away suddenly yesterday morning," the family wrote on Instagram on Friday.
"To the rest of the world he was a martial artist, actor and a symbol of strength. To us he was a faithful husband, loving father and grandfather," the family continued.
Chuck Norris' career ranged from world championship titles in karate to major roles in Hollywood - and as an internet phenomenon.
Video phenomenon
At a time when video was making its way into Swedish homes in the early 1980s, Chuck Norris and his films became a phenomenon - reliable favorites at video rental chains. The action king's films were constantly panned by critics and often cut down by Swedish film censorship - films had their most violent scenes removed and were full of spectacular and, in many cases, excessive violence.
It was while serving in the US Air Force in South Korea in the 1950s that Chuck Norris came into contact with martial arts. Between 1968 and 1974, he was the undefeated middleweight champion in karate, and was also the first Westerner to achieve the rank of 8th dan in taekwondo.
Trained movie stars
He got his ticket to Hollywood by training movie stars in martial arts. His breakthrough came in the early 1970s when he played a villain in his friend Bruce Lee's film "The Way of the Dragon," and in the 1980s he was a big star with films like "Missing in Action," "Firewalker" and "Delta Force."
In the 1990s, he also starred in the CBS series "Walker, Texas Ranger".
In 2005, Chuck Norris suddenly became an internet phenomenon when “Chuck Norris facts” began circulating online. Hyperbolic factoids about Norris flooded popular culture, something Norris himself took in stride.
An example: “Chuck Norris actually died 20 years ago, but Death hasn’t dared to tell him yet.”
Facts: Chuck Norris
Name: Carlos Ray Norris.
Born: in Oklahoma in 1940.
Background: Was world champion in professional middleweight karate between 1968 and 1974. Founded his own martial arts system, Chun Kuk Do.
Selected films: "An Iron in the Fire" (1969), "The Way of the Dragon" (1972), "The Long-Range War" (1977), "An Eye for an Eye" (1981), "Missing in Action" (1984), "The Delta Force" (1986), "Hellbound" (1994), "The Expendables 2" (2012)
Starred in the television series "Walker, Texas Ranger" between 1993 and 2001.
