Chuck Norris, Texas’s Toughest Ranger, Has Died at 86

Chuck Norris has died. His family confirmed it Friday morning, saying he was surrounded by loved ones and at peace. He was 86.

We're not going to pretend that's not a strange sentence to type. Chuck Norris dying feels like a glitch in the simulation. Death was always the one opponent that seemed genuinely nervous about the matchup.

But here we are.

From Oklahoma to Texas Legend: The Real Chuck Norris

His real name was Carlos Ray Norris, born in Ryan, Oklahoma, not far from the Texas border, equal parts Irish and Native American by his own accounting. He was a poor kid from a broken home who joined the Air Force at 18 and came back from South Korea with a black belt and a nickname. A buddy at boot camp told him that Carlos meant Charles in English, and that the nickname for Charles was Chuck. The guys started calling him that, and it stuck.

The legend of Chuck Norris was born in a barracks. Everything else is history.

Chuck Norris vs. Bruce Lee: The Fight That Made Him Immortal

He met Bruce Lee at the 1967 All-American Karate Championships and the two became friends, training together in Los Angeles, trading techniques, pushing each other. Then Lee put him in a film and shot a fight scene with him illegally inside the Roman Colosseum, bribing officials and sneaking cameras in, pretending to be tourists.

Chuck Norris lost that fight on screen. Somewhere, that rematch is finally happening. Our money is on a draw.

Walker, Texas Ranger and Nine Seasons of Pure Norris

He initially resisted the offer to star in Walker, Texas Ranger, worried a move to television would hurt his movie career. But the chance to play a Texas Ranger was too tempting. Walker ran nine seasons on CBS, ranked in the Top 20 for multiple years, and has never really left syndication. Somewhere right now, someone's grandmother has it on in the background. That's legacy.

On the set, a rattlesnake bit him during the second take of a scene. No venom was found in the bite. The snake, presumably, made better choices after that.

Chuck Norris Facts: The Man Who Invented the Meme Before the Internet Did

Chuck Norris facts began appearing online in early 2005, satirical hyperbolic claims about his toughness, masculinity, and general impossibility as a human being. They spread across the early internet like wildfire. Before viral was even a word we used that way, Chuck Norris was patient zero. He didn't create the meme era. The meme era created itself in his honor, which is somehow more appropriate.

The Chuck Norris Most People Didn't Know

His family called him a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, and the heart of their family. When asked how he wanted to be remembered, his answer was simple: as a humanitarian. Not as an action star. Not as a meme. As someone who helped people.

He founded the KickStart Foundation, teaching martial arts as part of the curriculum in middle schools across Texas, helping thousands of kids raise their self-esteem, find discipline, and stay out of trouble.

That was the real Chuck Norris. The roundhouse kicks were just the part that fit on a bumper sticker.

He was surrounded by family. He was at peace. And somewhere, Bruce Lee just cracked his knuckles.

Leave Your Best Chuck Norris Joke Below

I know Chuck was more than those silly jokes, but I think for most of us, these absurd standards of toughness were never poking fun at Chuck Norris. The jokes honored the larger than life presence Chuck Norris held, the way his beard and his look could convey might and power so effortlessly, people decided to immortalize him as the patron saint of Badass.

Lets leave one last volley of the best Chuck Norris jokes you remember from back in the day! In honor of America's very own mythological figure, Chuck Fucking Norris.

Rest easy, Ranger.

M3IS3D In Nacogdoches, Texas Makes Headphone Holder For Chuck Norris

It was fate that this 3D-printed artwork ended up in the hands of the subject matter.

Gallery Credit: Dan Patrick

16 Funniest Chuck Norris Jokes, According to Facebook

To honor this Texas immortal, through our Facebook page, I asked El Pasoans, "What were the funniest Chuck Norris jokes they knew."