Dianne Holechek, first wife of action movie star Chuck Norris, has passed away aged 84. Holechek and Norris married in 1958 when she was 17 and he was 18. They had met at high school in Torrance, California. The couple had two children together, Mike (born 1962) and former NASCAR driver Eric (born 1965) before finalizing their divorce in 1989 after 30 years of marriage. TMZ reported on Sunday that Holechek passed away peacefully at her home in Texas after a long battle with dementia, according to son Mike Norris. “We are thankful she is no longer suffering,” Mike said. “She was the best, the greatest mom. We were so lucky to have her.” When Holecheck married Norris he was still known by his birth name, Carlos. Holechek was photographed with Norris on red carpets, but led a private life and avoided the spotlight after their divorce. He went on to marry model Gena O’Kelley in 1998, and the pair are still together and had twins in 2001. Norris, 85, revealed in his 2004 memoir that he had an affair in 1962 during his marriage to Holechek, which led to him fathering a daughter, Dina.
