Paul Walker, the much-loved star who
for 12 years headlined the Fast and
Furious franchise, has died in a car
crash aged 40.
The actor was travelling as a
passenger in a new Porsche when his
friend who was driving - who has been
described as an "experienced driver" -
lost control of the vehicle and collided
with a street light, and then a tree.
The LA County Sheriff's department
has confirmed that two people died in
a collision in Santa Clarita, north of
Los Angeles, at 3:30pm on Saturday,
but Walker's death was confirmed by
his representatives on his official
Facebook page, and then by his
publicist, Ame Van Iden .
"It is with a truly heavy heart that we
must confirm that Paul Walker passed
away today in a tragic car accident
while attending a charity event for his
organisation Reach Out Worldwide,"
reads the Facebook update .
"He was a passenger in a friend's car,
in which both lost their lives. We
appreciate your patience as we too are
stunned and saddened beyond belief
by this news. Thank you for keeping
his family and friends in your prayers
during this very difficult time. We will
do our best to keep you apprised on
where to send condolences. - #
TeamPW."
The Reach Out Worldwide event was
a car show aimed at generating aid for
the Philippines typhoon relief effort. It
appears Walker, who was an investor
in a nearby automobile shop called
Always Evolving , took the Porsche
GT, which was on show at Reach Out
Worldwide, for a drive.
Sheriff's deputies work near the
wreckage of the Porsche that Paul
Walker was a passenger in.
Photograph: Dan Watson/AP
Photos released from the crash scene
show both street light and tree
collapsed, alongside a completely
wrecked vehicle, which was evidently
engulfed in flames following the
accident. Antonio Holmes, a friend of
Walker and of the driver, who he
called "Roger", was nearby and ran to
the crash site in a futile attempt to try
and extinquish the blaze.
"We all ran around and jumped in cars
and grabbed fire extinguishers and
immediately went to the vehicle. It was
engulfed in flames. There was nothing.
They were trapped. Employees, friends
of the shop. We tried. We tried. We
went through fire extinguishers," he
told the Santa Clarita Signal.
The car burst into flames.
Photograph: Dan Watson/AP
"Him and his buddy, his brother in
arms at heart just decided to joyride,
take a spin. Something we all do.
We're all car enthusiasts … We're all
here driving, enjoying each other, and
God must've needed help."
Universal Pictures, the studio behind
the Fast and Furious franchise,
released a statement on Saturday
evening. "All of us at Universal are
heartbroken," it read. "Paul was truly
one of the most beloved and respected
members of our studio family for 14
years, and this loss is devastating to
us, to everyone involved with the Fast
and Furious films, and to countless
fans."
The Porsche Paul Walker was
travelling in crashed into a pole on
Hercules Street near Kelly Johnson
Parkway in Valencia, California.
Photograph: Dan Watson/AP
The sentiment was echoed by
Walker's Fast and Furious co-star Vin
Diesel, who posted a photo of the pair
on his Instagram account with the
caption: "Brother I will miss you very
much. I am absolutely speechless.
Heaven has gained a new Angel. Rest
in Peace."
Other colleagues took to Twitter to
express their grief. "All my strength,
love & faith to the Walker family during
this heartbreaking time. We find our
strength.. in his light. Love you
brother," wrote Dwayne Johnson on
his @TheRock account. Johnson had
joined the cast of Fast and Furious for
its two most recent instalments, and
was due to return for the seventh,
which had just begun filming.
Tyrese Gibson , who co-starred in the
films, posted: "My heart is hurting so
bad. No one can make me believe this
is real." Director Roland Emmerich
wrote that he was "extremely
saddened", while James Wan posted
"I am so beyond heartbroken right
now. I can't process anything."
Wan was working with Walker on Fast
and Furious 7; the actor had already
completed work on what looks likely to
be his final films, a Hurricane Katrina
drama called Hours, and a thriller
called Brick Mansions. In the latter he
plays an undercover cop, just as in the
initial The Fast and the Furious his
character, Brian O'Connor, was part of
an undercover LAPD operation to
infiltrate a street racing circuit. The film
ended with O'Connor transferring his
loyalties to the apparent criminals.
Paul Walker and Naima McLean in
South African thriller Vehicle 19: are
we nearly there yet?, another
upcoming film to feature the late star.
Photograph: Studio Canal
The son of a model and a sewer
contractor, he grew up in Los Angeles,
in a working class Mormon household.
Child modelling assignments helped
keep the family afloat financially (he
was the eldest of five) and launched a
career that started on TV then moved
to the big screen with 1998 comedy
Meet the Deedles, then supporting
roles in Pleasantville, Varsity Blues
and She's All That.
It was his turn in 2000 thriller The
Skulls which brought him to the
attention of the Fast and Furious
producer. Notable other roles included
the lead in genial huskies drama Eight
Below , and a part in Clint Eastwood's
Iwo Jima epic The Flags of our
Fathers . The day before his death, he
posted an update to Twitter expressing
his excitement about the upcoming
seventh instalment: "The boys are
back. Will you be ready.


www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/01/paul-walker-dies-car-crash