Chuck Norris left behind a wife and five adult children when he died on March 19, 2026.
The actor was first married for 30 years, then for nearly 30 more before his death.
His wife at the time of his passing was Gena O’Kelley, who shared his love of fitness, prayer and giving back—and his kids share his love of gis, geri and gedan barai.
“To us, wellness consists of many components such as time with loved ones, because personal well-being includes cultivating healthy relationships,” she told NewBeauty in 2023. “Our children are also devoted martial artists so it’s nice that they get to experience that with their father. We believe that a family that trains together stays together. We also try to get a regular workout on our Total Gym because it is such an effective form of exercise.” (Of course!)
Get to know the women who stole the Walker, Texas Ranger star’s heart, as well as the children who say they hope to keep his butt-kicking legacy alive.
Who is Chuck Norris’ wife?
At the time of his death, Norris was married to Gena O’Kelley.
The pair met in 1997 when Norris was on a date with someone else. He wrote in his memoir Against All Odds that she visited him on set the next day, and he invited her to dinner that night.
“I wanted to get to know Gena better, so I asked her to return to Dallas as soon as possible,” he wrote (via PEOPLE). “She came back a couple of weeks later, and our friendship grew into a dating relationship. Before long, I felt myself falling head over heels in love.”
(No word on what happened to the poor woman he was on that other date with.)
They married on Nov. 28, 1998.
O’Kelley is a former model and TV personality, with appearances in Walker, Texas Ranger and Total Gym infomercials (who’d have thought?!).
She now serves as CEO of her and Norris’ water bottling facility, CForce, and is co-founder with Norris of their Kickstart Kids foundation.
“One of our favorite shared passions that people often overlook is giving back to the community,” she told NewBeauty in 2023. “We started Kickstart Kids, which is truly a fantastic organization that teaches martial arts and character development to students. We’ve reached more than 100,000 kids and the breakthroughs that we’ve seen mean the world to us.”
What happened to Chuck Norris’s wife?
According to Norris and O’Kelley, after an MRI scan in 2013, O’Kelley developed gadolinium poisoning, a reaction to a dye in the contrast agent injections used for many MRIs. She suffered kidney problems and rheumatoid arthritis after getting the injection, Hello! reported, and the couple spent $2 million trying to raise awareness of the condition and hold the drug companies who produce the contrast agent accountable. Norris had to take significant time away from Hollywood to be O’Kelley’s caretaker until she was properly diagnosed and treated.
What is the age difference between Chuck Norris and his wife?
Norris was 23 years older than his second wife, O’Kelley. He and his first wife only had a one-year age difference.
How many times did Chuck Norris marry?
Norris has been married twice.
His first wife, Dianne Holechek, was his high school sweetheart: They started dating when he was 16 and she was 15, and tied the knot in 1958—when he was 18 and she was 17!
They separated in 1988 and finalized their divorce in 1989.
He met O’Kelley eight years later and married her after dating her for about a year. They were together until his death in March 2026.
Does Chuck Norris have an illegitimate child?
That’s a rude way to put it, but yes, he did have a child out of wedlock.
While Norris and Holechek were married and he was serving in the Air Force, he had an affair with a woman named Johanna—who didn’t know he was married, so don’t call her a homewrecker! Johanna had a daughter named Dina.
Norris only found out about Dina when she was 26 years old and wrote him a letter.
“I was going through my mail at home and I see this letter and I open it up,” he told Entertainment Tonight in 2004 (via the Daily Mail). “It’s from Dina, and she says, ‘I’m your daughter from a past experience,’ and she said, ‘I found out you were my father when I was 16, but my mother said you were married and we shouldn’t interfere with your family.’ ”
Norris admitted he was reluctant to meet her at first, but is glad he did, because they have a close relationship now.
“I look at her and it’s so amazing,” he said. “Because I’m looking at her, and she’s staring at me, and we just sort of gravitate toward each other, and we just went into each other’s arms and started crying.”
Why did Chuck Norris leave his first wife?
Norris and Holechek never publicly stated the reason they split, but they remained amicable co-parents and friends throughout the rest of their respective lives post-divorce.
Is Chuck Norris’ ex-wife still alive?
Sadly, Holechek died in December 2025. She was 85 years old and had battled dementia for years.
After her passing, Norris paid a sweet tribute to her, writing that Dianne was “an incredible person … she was kind, intelligent and lived life to the fullest.”
He also noted, “She was also a loving and devoted mother to our sons, Mike and Eric.”
Does Chuck Norris have any biological children?
All of Norris’s children are biologically his own.
He and Holechek shared sons Michael (born Oct. 4, 1962) and Eric (born May 20, 1965). He and O’Kelley are parents to twins Dakota Alan and Danilee Kelly, born Aug. 30, 2001. He is also father to Dina, born in 1964, through his affair during his marriage to Holechek.
Who are Chuck Norris’ twins?
Norris’ twins are Dakota Alan Norris and Danilee Kelly Norris.
Danilee paid tribute to Norris after his death, writing in part on Instagram, “I don’t think grief is a good enough word to describe the emotions my family and I are going through right now.. losing a parent is something that you are never prepared for. Before I take the much needed time for myself and my family, I wanted to dedicate this post to my sweet father and acknowledge the amazing man he is.”
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She continued, “My dad was my protector the moment I was born and as soon as he took me in his arms, I’ve been his little girl. That was something I would always acknowledge even when I was too big to be cradled properly … My dad loved so deeply and cared for every single person in his life with so much tenderness.”
After thanking God for giving her Norris as a father, she concluded her post, “Thank you, Dad, for supporting me in all my passions and for pushing me to not shy away from the impossible. Thank you for your constant compassion and for loving me so much that it’s made me learn to love myself. I promise I will always and forever try to make you proud even if you already reminded me every day that it was impossible not to. I love you forever.”
Dakota, who followed in his father’s footsteps in studying martial arts, also paid tribute to Norris, praising his generosity and courage.
“You lived your life with purpose and with love for all people,” he wrote in part. “You were the greatest father God could have ever given me and the finest man I’ve ever known. No matter what I was going through, you were always there. You made sure I knew how much you loved me. Honest to God, I don’t think there was a single day that went by where you didn’t say it. I’m so proud to be your son. The memories we made, the lessons you taught me, and the constant laughs we shared will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
“Thank you for everything you gave to our family and for the example you set every day,” Dakota ended his post. “I hope I can live a life that honors you and makes you proud. I love you, Dad. I’ll miss you forever.”
How many grandchildren does Chuck Norris have?
At the time of his death, Norris had six grandchildren (and was expecting a seventh, as son Michael Norris’ wife announced she was pregnant in January 2026).
