The world is mourning the loss of Chuck Norris, a legend in the entertainment industry. The news of the beloved actor’s passing was shared on Friday, March 20. He was 86. The family of the “Walker, Texas Ranger” actor shared a loving statement about his passing on Instagram, reflecting on what he meant to them and saying their “hearts are broken.”
Norris will be dearly missed by his family, but he leaves behind an acting legacy. Despite his many film credits, he took a hiatus from acting for one special reason. This is why he made the decision.
Chuck Norris Pauses Acting Career
Norris and his second wife, Gena O’Kelley, married in 1998. They lived a beautiful, long life together. In 2017, he decided to step away from his acting career to focus on caring for her.
In a November 2017 article by The Mirror, the publication reveals how Norris took a career hiatus after O’Kelley developed an illness called “gadolinium deposition disease,” The Mirror reports. The couple believed that her health deteriorated because of an injection she received during an MRI scan. “Within hours after the first jab, I felt like my whole body was on fire — as if acid had been passed through it. The burning was isolated at first, but it just kept spreading,” she told Good Health, The Mirror reports.
O’Kelley’s health deteriorated so badly that she was unable to eat anything other than baby food. “I just lay in bed on an IV for five months and had to have round-the-clock nursing care. Chuck slept beside me on the couch and never left. I prayed that I would live to raise my children,” she said. Norris joined his wife in the interview and revealed that her health was more important than his acting career.
“I’ve given up my film career to concentrate on Gena; my whole life right now is about keeping her alive. I believe this issue is so important,” Norris said. He echoed these sentiments in a statement to The Washington Post. “Over the past several years, my focus has been on Gena’s health,” he said, Jacksonville reports.
In 2017, the couple made headlines for suing medical device manufacturers whom they believed were responsible for O’Kelley getting sick. They filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court seeking $10 million in damages, People reports.
Fans & Loved Ones Mourn Chuck Norris
Some of Norris’s past credits include “The Way of the Dragon,” “Missing in Action,” “Good Guys Wear Black,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” and “Lone Wolf McQuade.” He leaves behind an incredible legacy.
The announcement of the actor’s death was made on Instagram by his family. “It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning. While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” they wrote.
They also shared what he meant to them and asked for privacy at this time. The post’s comment section has been flooded with heartfelt tributes mourning the actor’s loss.
