"Fast & Furious" actor Paul Walker dies in car crash

By Fronnie Lewis Sunday, December 1, 2013

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Photo courtesy Vin Diesel/Paul Walker twitter page — (l-r) Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel November 2013

Condolences coming from many in Hollywood as well as fans of actor, Paul Walker, today. The 40 year-old co-star of the popular high-octane movie franchise, “Fast & Furious,” was killed when a car he was riding in crashed and exploded into flames around 3:30 p.m in Valencia part of Santa Clarita, yesterday. First responders found the victims trapped in the mangled burning wreckage. An investigation is underway.

Yesterday, Walker’s death was confirmed on his social media. Here are posts from his Twitter and Facebook pages.

Twitter:

Paul Walker ‏@RealPaulWalker

It’s with a heavy heart that we must confirm Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident

Facebook:

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 organization Reach Out Worldwide. 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

Latest media reports say 38 year-old Roger Rodas, the owner of Always Evolving, a high performance auto company in Valencia, was the driver of the red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that crashed. Shortly after attending a charity function and toy drive, the two friends apparently went for a spin in Rodas’ sports car. Speed was a factor in the accident, according to Deadline.com.

Walker was working on “Fast & Furious 7” the latest installment of the billion dollar franchise. His movie credits include, “Pleasantville” (1998), “Flags of Our Fathers” (2006), and “Takers” 2010.

Walker was born in Glendale and is survived by his 15 year-old daughter, Meadow.

Fronnie Lewis

Fronnie Lewis is the editor of mediacitygroove.com. She has an extensive background in newsgathering and writing, including more than two decades as a newswriter at KNBC-TV Los Angeles. She graduated from Stanford University, where she studied journalism and broadcast news.