Chuck Norris Wife: She's a Former Model and Actress
Sad news surfaced on Friday, March 20, that Chuck Norris, the martial artist and actor, has passed away at 86 years old. A cause of death hasn't been revealed.
Norris is survived by his wife, Gena O'Kelley, as well as his five children and his 13 grandchildren.
"It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning," the family shared on his official Instagram page on Friday. "While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace."
They added, "To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family."
Who Is Chuck Norris' Wife, Gena O'Kelley?
Norris and his wife O'Kelley got married in 1998. Before then, he was married to Dianne Holechek from 1958 to 1989.
O'Kelley was a model for her career and also appeared on TV. According to People magazine, "She had a role in Walker, Texas Ranger, according to CBN, and appeared in Praise the Lord on TBN alongside Norris in 2004. She also appeared in a 2003 episode of the sitcom Yes, Dear, in which Norris also starred."
On top of her modeling and acting career, O'Kelley is also CEO of CForce, a water bottling facility the O'Kelley and Norris founded in 2015.
O'Kelley and Norris have twins together, son Dakota Alan and daughter Danilee Kelley, which were born on Aug. 30, 2001. Dakota has a fifth-degree black belt in Chun Kuk Do, according to his official Instagram profile.
Norris and his wife did plenty of traveling together. In May 2022, Norris shared an Instagram photo of himself with O'Kelley in Santa Cruz, California, stating, "What a wonderful day it was in Santa Cruz with my beautiful wife."
Norris also took to social media back in August 2022 to wish his wife a happy birthday, so he was public about his love for her. He shared a photo of the two together on Instagram with the caption, "Happy birthday to the most amazing woman that God could have ever blessed me with. Gena, I love you more than words can even describe."
In November 2021, he celebrated the couple's 23rd wedding anniversary with a social media post featuring a photo of the two holding each other, stating, "My love, my life, my best friend, my world. Happy 23rd Anniversary to my beautiful wife that God blessed me with when we met 25 years ago. I love you with all my heart."
Chuck Norris Cause of Death
Chuck Norris died after a sudden hospitalization in Hawaii at the age of 86. According to ABC 7, the Norris family is keeping his cause of death private for now.
In their Instagram posting sharing the sad new about Norris' death, his family says, "Thank you for loving him with us." Our hearts and prayers go out to Norris' family during this difficult time.