Chuck Norris, US action movie star whose toughness inspired endless memes, dies at 86

Chuck Norris, the martial arts champion and action film star who became a global internet meme, died Thursday at age 86. Norris built a decades-long career in Hollywood, most famously as the lead of the television series "Walker, Texas Ranger," transforming himself from a disciplined fighter into a cultural icon. His larger-than-life persona spawned countless "Chuck Norris facts" — humorous, exaggerated internet jokes about his invincibility — that made him one of the earliest viral celebrities of the digital age. The meme phenomenon introduced Norris to younger generations who may never have seen his films, cementing his place in both action cinema and pop culture history. His death marks the end of an era for an entertainer who transcended traditional stardom to become a symbol of American action cinema.