Actor Paul Walker, who shot to fame as star of the high-octane street racing franchise Fast & Furious, died Saturday in a car crash in Southern California. He was 40. Walkers publicist Ame van Iden confirmed his death, but said she could not elaborate beyond statements posted on Walkers official Twitter and Facebook accounts. Walker was a passenger in a friends 2005 Porsche Carrera GT and both were attending a charity event for his organization, Reach Out Worldwide, in the community of Valencia in Santa Clarita, about 30 miles north of Hollywood. The website for the charity said the Saturday event was intended to benefit victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Speed was a factor in the crash, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office said. The wreck took place about 3:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. ET), about 300 yards from the office park where the event was held. The speed limit there is 45 mph. Deputies arrived at the scene to find a vehicle on fire, the sheriffs department said in a statement. Once fire crews put the flames out, they found two occupants, both of whom were pronounced dead at the scene. Saturday evening, all that remained was the burnt mangled metal of the red car and a light pole that had been knocked down. Box office success Walkers career began on the small screen, first with a commercial for Pampers when he was 2, and then with parts in shows such as Highway to Heaven and Touched By An Angel. His first few movie roles were as supporting characters in teen flicks, most notably in Varsity Blues. His career really took off when he was cast as undercover cop Brian OConner infiltrating a street-racing gang in 2001s The Fast and the Furious. The box-office success of the surprise summer hit yielded numerous sequels. And along with Vin Diesel, Walker was one of the franchise stalwarts. At the time of his death, Walker was working on the seventh film of the franchise, due out next year. On his verified Twitter account, Walker described himself as outdoorsman, ocean addict, adrenaline junkie ... and I do some acting on the side. Walker also is the star of Hours, an independent film scheduled to be released December 13 about a father struggling to keep his newborn infant alive in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Twitter and other social media exploded with reactions to Walkers death. Completely numb and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Paul Walker, wrote one posted Wow. Hollywood condolences came from Will Smith, Jack Osbourne, DMX and others.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 06:30:16 +0000
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