Fact Check

Did COVID-19 Kill Chuck Norris?

Norris, now 80, has been a frequent subject of hoaxes over the years.

Published May 18, 2020

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 03:  Martial artist/actor Chuck Norris make his Wizard World Comic Con debut during Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia 2017 - Day 3 at Pennsylvania Convention Center on June 3, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images) (Getty Images/Stock photo)
Image Via Getty Images/Stock photo
Claim:
Martial arts movie star Chuck Norris has died from the COVID-19 coronavirus disease.

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One might say celebrity death hoaxes don't happen to Chuck Norris, Norris happens to celebrity death hoaxes. (If you missed out on that particular era of internet humor, keep reading to learn more.)

In May 2020, Snopes readers inquired about a rumor circulating on social media that caused them to fear the actor known for fighting Bruce Lee in the 1972 martial arts film "The Way of the Dragon" and battling bad guys in the TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger" had succumbed to the COVID-19 coronavirus disease.

Norris, 80, is alive and well, but he has been the target of death hoaxes in the past. In 2012, scammers used a Norris death hoax as a vehicle to circulate a survey scam on Facebook.

We sent a message to Norris's talent agency, MN2S, asking for information about Norris' health but received no response. However, no news stories have reported any illness that has befallen the actor. Reports that Norris died from the COVID-19 disease appear to be nothing more than a variation of a celebrity death hoax.

Some social media users used the hoax as an opportunity to add to the unending list of "Chuck Norris facts," a long-running internet meme in which jokes about Norris' tough persona use extreme hyperbole.

"This just in," one Twitter user wrote. "Coronavirus has tested positive for Chuck Norris and is now in quarantine."

Sources

Cluley, Graham. "Chuck Norris is NOT Dead – Beware the Facebook Scam!"   Naked Security. 25 January 2012.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for ... read more

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