Aussie martial arts legend who trained A-list stars such as Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie and Ben Affleck suddenly dies in Melbourne

Australian martial arts legend Richard Norton has passed away aged 75.

Norton, who has trained A-list stars including Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie and Ben Affleck, died suddenly in Melbourne over the weekend.

His wife Judy Green confirmed the sad news in an Instagram post on Sunday.

‘I am numb and devastated, I have no words, I have lost my everything,’ she wrote.

‘I know there is, and will be lots of love and shock that we have lost this incredible human being.

‘The love of my life. I’m using this time to come to terms with my great loss. Judy.’

Terminator 2: Judgement Day star Robert Patrick also posted a tribute to Norton on Instagram.

‘He was an extraordinary individual, a towering figure in the martial arts community, and a contemporary of Chuck Norris,’ he wrote.

‘In addition to his impressive career as a highly sought-after bodyguard for rock stars, he made his mark as an accomplished fight co-ordinator on major films. More than that, he was a wonderful human being, and I feel fortunate to have shared the screen with him in Equalizer 2000.

‘My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Judy, and his family during this difficult time.’

Norton grew up in Sydney and began studying judo at the age of 11. He earned a black belt in karate by 17.

In 1970, he was hired as the chief instructor at Bob Jones’ Martial Arts studio in Melbourne.

He went on to have a successful career as a martial arts instructor, personal security guard and fight trainer for major Hollywood stars.

Norton married his wife Judy, a model and Sale of the Century star, in 1993.

He also appeared as a bodyguard in ABBA’s iconic 1977 film ABBA: The Movie which was filmed in Australia.

Norton is also known for his appearances in Hong Kong action films including The Magic Crystal, Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars and City Hunter.

He most recently worked as a fight co-ordinator in Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Suicide Squad and X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

The martial arts expert also trained Liam Neeson on the film Backlight as well as Charlie Hunnam and Ben Affleck in Hawaii on the film Triple Frontier.