AdvertisementCarlos Ray “Chuck” Norris died this week after being hospitalised in Hawaii following a medical emergency. The martial artist-turned-action hero was officially 86 at the time of his passing. Unofficially, the near-mythical Norris might be immortal. Chuck Norris “facts” have been an internet staple since the early 2000s, with some claiming they go back to the ’70s and ’80s, when Norris was at his silver-screen peak. No matter their date of origin, the “facts” all point to one thing: Chuck Norris is the manliest man ever to have manned in the history of mankind.Also Read | Political class must come together on Iran war, ruling party should reach outEvolution isn’t real. There’s just a list of creatures Chuck Norris allowed to live.So what made Norris probably the most enduring internet meme of all time? It all started with Vin Diesel. In 2005, a website called ‘Vin Diesel Fact Generator’ popped up, taking inspiration from an array of jokes about Diesel on a Something Awful forum. When website creator Ian Spector saw Diesel jokes weren’t cutting it anymore, he ran a poll to see who the top choice for his next tough guy fact generator should be. Norris won by a landslide. Norris’ real-life martial arts credentials and numerous black belts went a long way in establishing him as the alpha of choice. That, and the gift that keeps on giving: Norris’ long-running TV show, Walker, Texas Ranger.AdvertisementChuck Norris once threw a grenade and killed 50 people. Then, the grenade exploded.My first brush with Chuck Norris was his appearance as the titular Walker on the CBS show that ran for nine seasons between 1993 and 2001. Of course, this was when Star Plus was still a thing, and AXN hadn’t kicked off yet. As a young boy growing up in the ’90s in an Indian household, Norris’ small-screen exploits were the closest thing you could get to a steady stream of Rambo-coded machismo on a weekly basis. The camp factor was high, but so was the man’s roundhouse kick. Norris’ over-the-top heroics were cemented for an entire generation with that one show. When Conan O’ Brian installed the Walker, Texas Ranger Lever on the set of his late night show in 2004, treating audiences to clip after clip showcasing Norris’ acting chops (emphasis on chops), the legend truly came to life. The website happened soon after, and before you knew it, the jokes started writing themselves.Chuck Norris got bit by a cobra once. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra finally died.Chuck Norris jokes soon became the prototype for other larger-than-life internet characters like The Most Interesting Man In the World (“His only regret is that he didn’t have any regrets”). In India, we had our own version of the Chuck Norris joke, transposing Norris’ demigod-like powers on the one and only Rajinikanth. It made perfect sense. After all, with his iconic cigarette-twirling, bombastic dialogue delivery, and truly inimitable charm, even Norris would have had a tough time keeping up with our Superstar. There’s a difference in the kind of adulation both receive. Norris is definitely one of the all-time GOATS when it comes to the action genre; his appearance in the second Expendables movie is testament to the fact. But the Chuck Norris facts were always a joke, one he was in on and one he leaned into, to his credit. The fandom that Thalaivar enjoys is different. A Norrisian joke might claim God prays to Chuck Norris. In India, people actually do pray to Rajnikanth at a temple dedicated to him.Chuck Norris once high-fived Rajinikanth. That’s what scientists called the Big Bang.So what makes a man a living myth? Is it the perfect roundhouse kick? Black belts? Mid-air cigarette-catching skills? Or maybe just a bored teenager with an internet connection and time to spare? Turns out it’s all three, plus a battalion of fanboys. So long, Mr Norris. Sure, your political views might be hard to agree with, and you might have spent way too much time endorsing Glock and Netanyahu. But at least, we’ll always have the jokes.After all, Chuck Norris doesn’t die. God just needed a bodyguard.The writer is an editor and stand-up comedian