Chuck Norris, who died at 86, became an unlikely internet icon through viral "Chuck Norris Facts" that began in 2005. The meme originated from Ian Spector, a Long Island high school student who created a meme generator website after seeing similar jokes about Vin Diesel. Norris's hypermasculine film persona made him a perfect target for parody, with jokes like "Chuck Norris doesn't sleep. He waiting."

The meme phenomenon grew into a business when Spector published "The Truth About Chuck Norris" in 2007, which became a New York Times bestseller. Norris initially sued over the book, claiming it painted him in an unflattering light, though the case settled in 2008. The legal dispute ironically boosted sales, and Spector followed with four more Norris-themed books before graduating from Brown University with a degree in cognitive neuroscience.

Norris embraced the meme culture by publishing his own collection in 2009 titled "The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book," where he revealed his favorite joke about Mount Rushmore. His consistent on-screen persona created a "common understanding" that translated perfectly to memes, according to media scholars. The Chuck Norris phenomenon demonstrates how internet culture can transform celebrities into timeless symbols through shared humor and character recognition.