Chuck Norris, the former martial arts champion and 1980s action-film hero who fought the bad guys in "Code of Silence," "Missing in Action" and "The Delta Force" and upheld the law in the TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger," died on Thursday, his family said in a statement on his Instagram account on Friday (March 20).

"While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace," the statement read.

The six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight ‌Karate Champion, whose tough-guy image inspired satirical "facts" that made him an Internet phenomenon, had been hospitalized in Hawaii on Thursday, Variety reported.

Norris starred in more than two dozen films portraying silent loners, soldiers, lawmen, veterans and All-American heroes who captured criminals, released prisoners of war, rescued hostages and battled terrorists.

With his roundhouse kicks he fought martial arts icon Bruce Lee in Rome's Colosseum in his 1973 film debut "The Way of the Dragon." Along with actor Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis he helped defeat villain Jean-Claude Van Damme in the 2012 blockbuster "The Expendables 2."

Time magazine described him as "the ultimate tough guy."

"In his strictly wham-bam B-movie genre, Norris, a former karate champion, has become the undisputed superstar," it said in ⁠1985.

Norris dodged bullets, landed kicks squarely on an opponent's jaw and dismissed multiple villains at a time in his action-packed films.

His macho image made him a hit at the box office and on the small screen. From 1993 to 2001, he played Sergeant Cordell Walker, an upstanding lawman, former Marine and martial arts expert in "Walker, Texas Ranger."

The bearded actor, writer and producer became an online cult hero in 2005 when an American student created what became Chuck Norris Facts, online jokes about the actor's physical prowess and masculinity that became a viral sensation and inspired several books.

Among the most popular were "Chuck Norris has a mug of nails instead of coffee in the morning" and "Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups; he pushes the Earth down."

Carlos Ray Norris was born on March 10, 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma, the oldest of three brothers. The family moved to California after his parents divorced.

He was extremely quiet and introverted, which he attributed to his father's alcoholism and the family's poverty.

"In school I was shy and inhibited," Norris wrote in his 2004 memoir "Against All Odds: My Story." "If the teacher asked me to recite something aloud in front ‌of the ⁠class, I would just shake my head no."

Norris was also not a natural athlete. He had to train remarkably hard to become a martial arts champion, he said. After graduating from school, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1958. While stationed in South Korea, he learned Tang Soo Do, a form of karate, and other martial arts.

The future film star started teaching martial arts in California after his discharge. He also won major competitions. Actor Steve McQueen, who was one of Norris' students, encouraged him to try acting.

"He told me that I should think about projecting a presence, and never do a part that ⁠had a lot of dialogue," Norris told the New York Times in a 1985 interview.

"He told me, 'Movies are visual, and when you try to verbalize something, you're going to lose the audience.'"

Norris' films grossed millions and made him a popular figure among the U.S. military. He visited Iraq in 2006 and 2007 to show his support for American troops.

In 1990, he founded his own martial arts discipline, Chun Kuk Do, and established ⁠the nonprofit organization, Kickstart Kids, to teach children martial arts and self-esteem.

A patriot, Conservative and devout Christian, he worked with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and was a contributor to WorldNetDaily, a far-right news and aggregator website.

In addition to his best-selling memoir, Norris published "The Secret of Inner Strength - My Story," his guide to self-improvement, as well as several books on fitness and martial arts and ⁠two novels - 2006's "The Justice Riders" and its sequel, "A Threat to Justice."

He was married twice and had five children.

Norris defended his films to critics who claimed they promoted violence. If they are well written, he said, action films can tell a story as effectively as any drama or romance.

"It’s how it’s done. I don’t advocate violence for violence’s sake," he told the Los Angeles Times in 1994. "What people hang on to is that the good guy wins in the end."

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - AUGUST 15, 2012) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. MARTIAL ARTIST AND ACTOR, CHUCK NORRIS WAVING TO THE CROWD AT "THE EXPENDABLES 2" PREMIERE

2. ACTOR, SYLVESTER STALLONE GREETING FANS/ SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS

3. NORRIS WITH ACTORS, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AND RANDY COUTURE, POSING FOR PHOTOS

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, CHUCK NORRIS, SAYING:

"Getting a chance to work with friends that I have known for 30 years, Arnold, Sly and (Jean-Claude) Van Damme and (Bruce) Willis. This is probably the only time that I would get to work with all of them at one time. That is why I did it. Plus, when they called me and said that they want me in this movie and what I would be doing is saving their lives, I said that is great I like saving their lives."

CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES (FILE - JANUARY 17, 2008) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS - Access all)

5. THEN REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MIKE HUCKABEE INTRODUCING NORRIS, AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AND RICK FLAIR AS DIRECTOR OF HOMELAND SECURITY AT A CAMPAIGN RALLY

DES MOINES, IOWA, UNITED STATES (FILE - JANUARY 1, 2008) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

6. TWO STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF THEN REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR MIKE HUCKABEE (L) LISTENING TO A QUESTION WITH NORRIS DURING A CAMPAIGN STOP IN DES MOINES, IOWA

7. TWO STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF HUCKABEE AND NORRIS ON STAGE DURING A CAMPAIGN RALLY

CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES (FILE - JANUARY 17, 2008) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

8. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF NORRIS GREETING FANS AS HE CAMPAIGNS FOR HUCKABEE AT CLEMSON UNIVERSITY IN CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (FILE - NOVEMBER 28, 2007) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

9. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF NORRIS SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE AT THE CNN/YOUTUBE/REPUBLICAN PARTY OF FLORIDA PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (FILE - JUNE 13, 2004) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

10. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF NORRIS WITH FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE H. W. BUSH (L) POSING ON THE GROUNDS OF THE BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY IN COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS. BUSH HAD JUST COMPLETED THE SECOND OF HIS TWO TANDEM JUMPS ON SUNDAY TO CELEBRATE HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY

DALLAS, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (FILE - APRIL 18, 2001) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

11. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF NORRIS SHOWING THE DALLAS MAVERICKS WHO IS NUMBER ONE WHILE WATCHING HALF TIME CEREMONIES AT REUNION ARENA IN DALLAS

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - MAY 20, 2001) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

12. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF NORRIS AND HIS WIFE GENA POSING AT THE FIRST EVER WORLD STUNT AWARDS IN SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - NOVEMBER 30, 2001) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

13. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF NORRIS AND HIS WIFE GENA POSING AT THE 7TH ANNUAL AMERICAN VETERAN AWARDS IN BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - NOVEMBER 8, 2002) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

14. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF NORRIS AND HIS WIFE GENA ARRIVING AT "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE," IN LOS ANGELES - A BENEFIT FOR THE LOS ANGELES POLICE PROTECTIVE LEAGUE'S EAGLE & BADGE FOUNDATION

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - AUGUST 15, 2012) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

15. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF NORRIS SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS AT "THE EXPENDABLES 2" PREMIERE

16. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF NORRIS WITH FAMILY POSING FOR PHOTOS

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES (FILE - MAY 14, 2010) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUTE)

17. FOUR STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF NORRIS SPEAKING DURING THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION'S 139TH ANNUAL MEETING IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA