Chuck Norris made himself into a legend of the large and small screens alike over the many decades of his career, and the death of the Walker, Texas Ranger vet prompted many celebrities to speak out with tributes to him. Ranging from fellow action stars of the 20th century like Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme to horror master Stephen King himself, the people mourning his death shared kind words in his memory.
The family of Chuck Norris confirmed that the "sudden" death of the acting legend occurred on March 19, with a statement that they would "like to keep the circumstances private" but also letting well-wishers know that he "was surrounded by his family and was at peace." He died less than two weeks after his 86th birthday, not too long after he was still providing octogenarian workout updates.
Those who knew and respected Norris wasted no time in penning tributes to him on social media after the sad news broke, with Sylvester Stallone sharing this via Instagram in honor of his The Expendables 2 costar:
I had a great time working with Chuck. He was All American in every way. Great man and my condolences to his wonderful family.
Fellow Expendables franchise vet Dolph Lundgren, who is making headlines again for his work on the original Masters of the Universe movie, also took the time to share a photo and a kind message. He posted:
Jean-Claude Van Damme, who was name-dropped by Cody Rhodes for his Street Fighter work, is an action star of the same era that produced Chuck Norris... and yet another actor credited with an appearance in The Expendables 2. He wrote on Instagram:
Deepest condolences on the passing of my friend, Chuck Norris. We knew each other from my early days, and I always respected the man he was. My heart and prayers are with his family. He will never be forgotten. 🥋🙏🏼💔
Of course, Norris' body of work didn't just touch the people who he worked with on the big screen, as author Jack Carr made clear on social media as well. Carr wrote The Terminal List source material that inspired Chris Pratt's show of the same name (available streaming now with an Amazon Prime subscription). The former U.S. Navy Commander-turned-writer shared:
Lee Majors, another 20th century TV legend as the star of The Six Million Dollar Man and The Fall Guy, reflected on his time working with Chuck Norris. While Majors may be best remembered for his more prominent projects, he did appear in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger back in 1998. He wrote on Instagram:
We lost a dear friend [Chuck Norris] today… and my heart goes out to his family. I know the millions of fans across the world are feeling this loss too, but for me, it’s deeply personal. I had the honor of working alongside him, sharing moments I’ll never forget. He wasn’t just a legend on screen he was a kind, strong, and genuine soul off of it. I’m really going to miss you, my friend. Hey Chuck… maybe you can teach the good Lord a few karate moves — I know He’ll get a kick out of them. Rest easy🙏🏻❤️
While the late actor is obviously remembered for his body of work in film and television, some people who have never seen an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger, a single second of Firewalker, or witnessed the reunion of action stars in the Expendables franchise may be familiar with him for the genre of humor known as Chuck Norris jokes. Stephen King himself honored Norris on X (formerly known as Twitter) by choosing his two top Chuck Norris jokes:
- "My fave Chuck Norris joke: Chuck doesn't flush the toilet, he scares the shit out of it."
- "Second fave: When he was born, Chuck Norris drove his mother home from the hospital."
Two solid choices from the author! Stephen King, who recently shared high praise for Paradise Season 2, also got serious to name one particular movie that he thinks is "great."
Seriously, I thought he was great. SILENT RAGE scared hell out of my boys...and me.March 20, 2026
Considering that Stephen King has been scaring the hell out of people going back to the publication of Carrie in 1974, his comment about a somewhat obscure film scaring his kids is a pretty high compliment. All in all, the messages celebrating Norris' life and accomplishments make it feel all the more appropriate that his final post on his own Instagram account prior to the announcement of his death was filled with action:
It's a safe bet that there are plenty more tributes on the way in the wake of Chuck Norris' death, although hopefully the family's request for privacy will be honored. If you want to check out the show that helped solidify his legacy as an actor, you can find Walker, Texas Ranger streaming free on The Roku Channel and Pluto TV.
