'Enter The Dragon' Star Martial Arts Master Robert Wall Dies At Age 82

'Enter The Dragon' star and friend of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, Robert Wall, has died at the age of 82.

According to multiple reports, the martial arts master -- who acted alongside the legendary stars -- passed away from an unknown illness. The Tang Soo Do master was a 9th-degree black belt, training under Chuck Norris. The 'Walker, Texas Ranger' star is credited with bringing the discipline to the West.

Chuck Norris and Robert Wall trained together for many years and were business partners. He is the founder and CEO of World Black Belt Inc, a famous martial arts organization. Also, Wall won the 1970 US Professional Karate Championship.

Robert appeared in 1972's 'Way Of The Dragon and the next year's 'Enter the Dragon.' Arguably, this is one of the most popular fighting movies ever created and made Bruce Lee a household name.

Shockingly, Wall made huge headlines after admitting years later that Bruce Lee actually broke his ribs during the filming of 'Enter The Dragon.' The story is incredible. Wall claimed after being friends for over 8 years, Lee asked if they could go full speed to make sure the movie scene looked as real as possible. Of course, it did. But, Wall ended up with a set of broken ribs. Totally worth it! If you ask us...

Robert's family issued a statement on the death, saying, "Bob was the greatest husband and father. Family was everything to him. He lived a remarkable life & there is a hole in our hearts that will never be filled. His spirit & legacy will live on forever within us. He was our rock."

Robert is survived by his wife Lillian for 48 years, and his two daughters - Shana and Kara.

The actor opened up about his relationship with Bruce Lee during a 2017 interview, recalling the first time that they met. "I first met him in 1962. I’d gone to a restaurant in Chinatown with one of my friends Bob Ozman (a well-known martial artist). A guy was talking about how deadly kung fu was and that karate was nothing in front of it," he began.

Adding, "He called some karate people from the audience and said he would show us that karate does not work. He made three karate guys hit his arm and then said he would show us how kung fu was deadlier than karate, by hitting them. They did not hurt him and he said put out your arms and ill break them, they said no and left the stage. Then I said 'You can hit my arm and break it if you can,'" -- adding, "I walked on stage and stuck out my arm which he hit several times. I then slapped him in the face and said lets fight, he fell down and did not want to fight with me."

"I talked to Bob Ozman and he said that there were too many Chinese guys in that place and we should leave otherwise there might be trouble. So we started walking away when I noticed someone walking up to me, and he said, “Hey that was funny, I’m Bruce Lee!” he concluded.

I walked on stage and stuck out my arm which he hit several times. I then slapped him in the face and said lets fight, he fell down and did not want to fight with me.

The actor is well known for his beef with a fellow martial artist, Steven Seagal. It all started when Seagal made disparaging comments about Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. During several interviews, Seagal challenged anyone to fight to the death, who believed they could defeat him.

Obviously, Wall was upset by the comments and gathered a group of martial artists willing the answer the challenge, who was nicknamed the "dirty dozen." The group was comprised of Benny Urquidez, Bill Wallace, Howard Jackson, Roger Carpenter, Allen Steen, Jim Harrison, Dennis Alexio, Richard Norton, Bill Robertson, Pat Burleson,

Blinky Rodriquez, and Gerard Finot, and Gene LeBell.

According to reports, the Dirty Dozen was a bit controversial in the martial arts community, with some believing they were overreacting and promoting violence.