Chuck Norris is mourning his 'Walker, Texas Ranger' co-star Clarence Gilyard. Picture: Instagram
Legendary television star Chuck Norris has had an eventful week after mourning the loss of a friend shortly after celebrating his 24th wedding anniversary.
As he does every year, the actor (82) shared a throwback image of himself and his wife, Gena (59) on 28 November.
“Happy anniversary to my best friend and the love of my life. I love you with all my heart,” he wrote along with a picture taken on their wedding day.
Sadly, the post was followed by another post in which he shared a picture of himself and his Walker, Texas Ranger co-star Clarence Gilyard.
“It’s with great sadness to hear of the passing of a dear friend and co-star, Clarence Gilyard. For nearly a decade we had many great times working together and we both loved bringing the bad guys to justice. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and children. You will be deeply missed by all who knew you. May you Rest In Peace, my friend. Until we meet again,” he wrote.
Gilyard was known for his roles as a second private investigator and right-hand man Conrad McMasters to Ben Matlock on the American legal drama series Matlock (from 1989 to 1993).
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Gilyard appeared in Die Hard as Theo, the terrorist computer expert and Lieutenant Evan “Sundown” Gough in Top Gun.
He also played Pastor Bruce Barnes in the first two Left Behind movies as well as Cordell Walker’s (Chuck Norris) Texas Ranger partner, James “Jimmy” Trivette in Walker, Texas Ranger.
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American action crime television series that was inspired by the film Lone Wolf McQuade.
Both the series and the film starred Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division
The show ran from 1993 to 2001 and has been broadcast in over 100 countries, including South Africa.
One of the things Walker, Texas Ranger was most popular for was its moralistic style that saw the show’s characters refrain from the use of drugs.
They also frequently participated in community service.
According to a Wikipedia entry about the show, “martial arts were displayed prominently as the primary tool of law enforcement and occasionally as a tool for Walker and company to reach out to the community.”
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