{"id":368998,"date":"2026-03-28T01:17:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T01:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/368998\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T01:17:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T01:17:13","slug":"chuck-norris-discovered-he-had-a-secret-daughter-after-receiving-her-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/368998\/","title":{"rendered":"Chuck Norris discovered he had a secret daughter after receiving her letter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chuck Norris dead at 86<\/a> <\/p>\n

Fox News’ Carley Shimkus provides details after Chuck Norris’ family released a statement on the American legend’s death.\u00a0<\/p>\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

For nearly three decades, Chuck Norris had no idea he had fathered a child from a brief affair.<\/p>\n

The iconic martial artist and actor died March 19 at age 86 in Hawaii.<\/p>\n

In 1991, Norris discovered he had a daughter he didn\u2019t know about when he received a letter from her. He wrote about the life-changing discovery in his 2004 memoir, “Against All Odds.”<\/a><\/p>\n

CHUCK NORRIS MOURNS DEATH OF EX-WIFE WHO REMAINED ‘CLOSE FRIEND’ AFTER THEIR 30-YEAR MARRIAGE ENDED<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chuck <\/p>\n

Chuck Norris passed away on March 19, 2026, at age 86 in Hawaii. (Frederic Meylan\/Sygma via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“I was going through my mail at home, and I see this letter, and I opened it up,” he recounted in a 2004 interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” as reported by People magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s from Dina,” the star shared. “And she says, \u2018I\u2019m your daughter from a past experience.\u2019 And she said, \u2018I 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.\u2019”<\/p>\n

Dina told her famous father that if she didn\u2019t hear back from him, she would never bother him again.<\/p>\n

WATCH: CHUCK NORRIS DEAD AT 86<\/p>\n

In the book, Norris describes his thoughts flashing back to August 1962, a week before he was to be discharged from the Air Force. He was stationed at a base in Riverside, California.<\/p>\n

During this time, he had a sexual encounter with a woman he met at a nightclub while out dancing with his brother, Wieland Norris. At the time, Norris\u2019 first wife, Dianne Holechek, was in Los Angeles getting their apartment ready for them to live in.<\/p>\n

“I knew that from an ethical, Christian perspective<\/a>, what I was doing was wrong,” Norris wrote, noting that he “felt guilty about being unfaithful to my wife.”<\/p>\n

\"Chuck <\/p>\n

Actor Chuck Norris poses during a book signing for his book “Against All Odds” at Borders Books on Oct. 4, 2004, in Northridge, California.\u00a0 (Frederick M. Brown\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Looking at the letter, Norris called his mother, asking if she could talk with the woman claiming to be his daughter. The matriarch agreed to see her face-to-face instead.<\/p>\n

While Norris was initially hesitant to meet Dina, his mother called him, urging him to come over immediately. Dina was there. Seeing her stopped him in his tracks.<\/p>\n

“I walked into the living room and nearly had my breath knocked out of me,” Norris wrote in his book. “There, standing before me, was a beautiful young lady. I was stunned, but the moment I saw her, I knew. I didn\u2019t need DNA or blood tests; there was no doubt in my mind that she was my daughter.”<\/p>\n

LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chuck <\/p>\n

Chuck Norris in the garden of his home in Palos Verdes, California with his wife Dianne Kay Holechek, circa 1978. (Nik Wheeler\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“I went to her, wrapped my arms around her, and we both started crying,” wrote Norris. “At that moment, it was as if I had known her all of my life.”<\/p>\n

Norris shared a similar sentiment with “Entertainment Tonight.”<\/p>\n

“I look at her, and it\u2019s so amazing because I\u2019m looking at her, and she\u2019s staring at me and we just sort of gravitate toward each other,” he said at the time.<\/p>\n

\"Chuck <\/p>\n

Chuck Norris and wife Dianne Holechek attend the party for the American Film Market on March 24, 1981, at Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills. They divorced in 1989. (Ron Galella\/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Dina later told Norris that her mother became pregnant from her only encounter with him. The matriarch married soon after Dina was born. Dina believed that man was her father until she was 16 and overheard her mother on the phone talking about Norris. That\u2019s when her mother confirmed that Norris was her biological father. He was married with children, and she felt they shouldn\u2019t disrupt his family\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Ten years later, Dina read in newspapers that Norris was divorced. That\u2019s when Dina, with the approval of her husband, decided to write to Norris. Dina and Norris quickly forged a close relationship.<\/p>\n

In 1993, Norris took on the role of a crime-fighting lawman in TV\u2019s “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Filming took place in Dallas, where Dina, her husband and their three children had previously relocated.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chuck <\/p>\n

Chuck Norris as Cordell “Cord” Walker in “Walker, Texas Ranger,” circa 1997. (CBS Photo Archive\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“When I learned that Dina and her family were also in Dallas, I was convinced that this was God\u2019s plan for bringing us together,” Norris wrote.<\/p>\n

He also noted that since meeting Dina and her family<\/a>, they had become “a blessed part of my life.” He went on to apologize to Dina\u2019s mother “for my deceit.”<\/p>\n

“Certainly, I know now that God does not condone premarital or extramarital sexual relationships,” Norris wrote. “But I\u2019ve also discovered that there is no such thing as an \u2018illegitimate child.\u2019 Every baby is \u2018legitimate\u2019 in God\u2019s eyes; every child is precious in His sight.”<\/p>\n

\"Chuck <\/p>\n

Chuck Norris married Gena O’Kelly in 1998. (Mark Perlstein\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Dina has largely stayed out of the public eye, Men\u2019s Journal<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

Norris’ Christian values led to him founding the martial arts program Kickstart Kids, a Texas-based nonprofit operating primarily within Texas public schools.<\/p>\n

It first\u00a0launched in 1992 in four schools and now operates in 58 schools across the state. Since launching more than 30 years ago, more than 120,000 students have participated in the program.<\/p>\n

CHUCK NORRIS\u2019 DEATH INSPIRES TRIBUTES AS SYLVESTER STALLONE, JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME LEAD HOLLYWOOD REACTIONS<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chuck <\/p>\n

Chuck Norris appeared in “Hawaii Five-0” in 2020. (Karen Neal\/CBS via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Norris\u2019 family announced on social media that he had died after suffering a medical emergency in Hawaii<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“He lived his life with faith, purpose and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved. Through his work, discipline and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives.”<\/p>\n

Fox News Digital’s Lori Bashian contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chuck Norris dead at 86 Fox News’ Carley Shimkus provides details after Chuck Norris’ family released a statement…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":368999,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[288,321,93,17566,61,60,70855],"class_list":["post-368998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-books","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-family-genres","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-then-and-now"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/368999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}