The legendary actor, who died\u00a0aged 86 following a sudden medical emergency\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0Hawaii<\/span>, welcomed five children in his lifetime.<\/p>\n But for 26 years, Norris had zero knowledge of the existence of his oldest daughter, Dina Norris, until she made contact.<\/p>\n Dina was born following an extra-marital affair during the Hollywood star\u2019s first marriage to his childhood sweetheart, Dianne Holechek.<\/p>\n Norris married Holechek in 1958 when he was 18 and she was 17. They welcomed their first child, son Mike Norris, in 1962.<\/p>\n Three years later, in 1965, the pair became parents again when their second son, Eric Norris, was born.<\/p>\n In between that time, however, Norris strayed while serving in the United States Air Force in 1963 and he fathered a daughter with another woman. He was unaware that the woman,\u00a0Johanna, had become pregnant.<\/p>\n That all changed in 1991, when his biological daughter, Dina, reached out to him.<\/p>\n Chuck Norris went almost three decades without knowing he fathered a daughter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Hollywood star welcomed Dina in 1963, although she didn\u2019t reach out until 1991. The father and daughter in Kauai in 2015<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018I was going through my mail at home, and I see this letter and I open it up,\u2019 Norris told Entertainment Tonight in 2004 of how they came to be connected, as per People.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s from Dina\u2026 and she says, \u201cI\u2019m your daughter from a past experience,\u201d and she said, \u201cI found out you were my father when I was 16, but my mother said you were married and we shouldn\u2019t interfere with your family.\u201d\u2018<\/p>\n Although he was reluctant to meet, the pair eventually came face to face.<\/p>\n In his 2004 memoir Against All Odds: My Story, Norris revealed that he had read the contents of Dina\u2019s letter to his mother, who agreed to meet with her before he did.<\/p>\n The first meeting took place at Norris\u2019s mother\u2019s home and it was\u00a0not long before she called him up and urged him to come over right away.<\/p>\n In his autobiography, he recounted that he was\u00a0so nervous to meet Dina that he brought his brother for support.<\/p>\n \u2018I walked into the living room and nearly had my breath knocked out of me,\u2019 he penned. \u2018There, standing before me, was a beautiful young lady. I was stunned, but the moment I saw her, I knew.<\/p>\n \u2018I didn\u2019t need DNA or blood tests; there was no doubt in my mind that she was my daughter.\u2019<\/p>\n High-school sweethearts Norris and his first wife, Dianne, married in 1958 (above, in 1978)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Norris and Holechek split in 1988 after 30 years of marriage<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Norris recalled how the pair hugged and both started\u00a0crying.<\/p>\n \u2018At that moment, it was as if I had known her all of her life,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n Norris later learned that Dina had decided to reach out after reading that he was divorced.<\/p>\n \u2018It was then that she decided to write to me with the approval of her husband, Damien,\u2019 he wrote.<\/p>\n The father and daughter also managed to forge a relationship, and he proudly stated that Dina\u2019s family became a \u2018blessed part of his life.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018I am blessed to have her as my daughter,\u2019 he said. \u2018Certainly, I know now that God does not condone premarital or extramarital\u00a0sexual relationships. But I\u2019ve also discovered that there is no such thing as an \u201cillegitimate child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Every baby is legitimate in God\u2019s eyes; every child is precious in his sight.\u2019<\/p>\n As for his love life, Norris and Holechek split in 1988 after 30 years of marriage. They finalized their divorce one year later.<\/p>\n Norris and married his second wife Gena in 1998. The couple had twins in 2001<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The couple with their 24-year-old twin children, Dakota and Danilee, on a beach last year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A decade later, in 1998, he went on to marry his second wife, Gena O\u2019Kelley. Together, the couple had twins, Dakota and Danilee, both 24, in 2001.<\/p>\n Martial arts icon Norris died on the morning of March 19, his family announced in a post on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u00a0is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,\u2019 they said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u2018While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and at peace.\u2019<\/p>\n It is unclear what medical emergency the actor suffered.<\/p>\n His family paid tribute to Norris as a \u2018devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved,\u2019 their statement said.<\/p>\n \u2018Through his work, discipline,\u00a0and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives.\u2019<\/p>\n Norris was best known for action roles, including Walker, Texas Ranger and The Delta Force, in the 1980s, before he became a cult figure on social media in his later years.<\/p>\n The actor was a renowned martial artist and fitness guru. Earlier this month, he celebrated his birthday by sharing a video of himself staying fit in a training session.<\/p>\n The star captioned the clip: \u2018I don\u2019t age. I level up. I\u2019m 86 today!<\/p>\n \u2018Nothing like some playful action on a sunny day\u00a0to make you feel young. I\u2019m grateful for another year, good health, and the chance to keep doing what I love.<\/p>\n \u2018Thank you all for being the best fans in the world. Your support through the years has meant more to me than you\u2019ll ever know. God Bless, Chuck Norris.\u2019<\/p>\n Norris had largely stayed out of acting roles in his later years but made minor cameos in action flicks, including The Expendables 2.<\/p>\n In the decades after his action-movie success, Norris became a well-known meme on social media, with people parodying his tough-guy image.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For almost three decades, Chuck Norris had no idea that he had fathered a secret daughter. The legendary actor, who died\u00a0aged 86 following a sudden medical emergency\u00a0in\u00a0Hawaii,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11733,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t![\"Chuck](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/20\/16\/107298449-15665101-image-a-14_1774022974948.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/21\/04\/107298219-15665101-The_Hollywood_star_welcomed_Dina_in_1963_although_she_didn_t_rea-a-44_1774068354596.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"High-school](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/21\/04\/104929067-15665101-High_school_sweethearts_Norris_and_his_first_wife_Dianne_married-a-48_1774068355017.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Norris](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/21\/04\/104929077-15665101-Norris_and_Holechek_split_in_1988_after_30_years_of_marriage-a-45_1774068354619.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Norris](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/21\/04\/107298327-15665101-Norris_and_married_his_second_wife_Gena_in_1998_The_couple_had_t-a-47_1774068354916.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/21\/04\/107298213-15665101-The_couple_with_their_24_year_old_twin_children_Dakota_and_Danil-a-46_1774068354884.jpg\")
<\/p>\n