Chuck Norris, prolific action star and martial arts champion, dies aged 86

Chuck Norris, the former world karate champion who turned his fighting skills into a screen career, has died aged 86. His family posted on social media saying he had died on Thursday and adding: "While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace."

He won a series of karate championships in the late 1960s, and a friendship with fellow martial-artist Bruce Lee led to his eye-catching appearance in Lee's 1972 hit The Way of the Dragon.

Norris then went on to make a number of action films over the next two decades, including Invasion USA and The Delta Force, and he starred in the long-running TV series Walker, Texas Ranger.

He also acquired a level of political profile for his outspoken support for rightwing political causes. More to come.

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