"Fast and Furious" star Paul Walker, who has been in Atlanta recently filming "Fast & Furious 7," died in a car crash north of Los Angeles on Saturday. Speed may have been a factor and the crash is under investigation, The Los Angeles Times reports.
"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," the actor's official Facebook page reported Saturday night.
"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."
"Fast & Furious 7" has been in Atlanta since mid-September and has filmed in numerous metro area locations, includinga multi-night shoot in downtown Atlanta,Historic Oakland Cemetery, a rock quarry in Stockbridge, the OFS site north of Atlanta and the Fort Gillem site south of Atlanta.
"We are very saddened by the loss of Paul Walker," Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reedsaid on his Twitter feed shortly after midnight Sunday. "Our prayers go out to his family & friends. We always enjoyed having him in the city.
The cast is a tight-knit bunch, as you can see from this photo of Vin Diesel and Ludacris having a good time the day after Thanksgiving and this photo of The Rock, Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris enjoying time together on the set.
A few days ago, Walker's Facebook page reported details about the charity event he attended Saturday before the crash.
"Reach Out Worldwide needs your help to bring direct aid to typhoon victims in the #Philippines," read a Nov. 24 post tht accompanied a photo of Walker and some of his fellow cast members. "All of us at Fast & Furious 7 thank you for any support you can offer to our efforts."
The official F&F7 Twitter feed posted a nice photo of everyone gathered around a table holding hands as a happy Thanksgiving message.
Atlanta rapper-actor Ludacris, who has appeared in a number of the past "Fast & Furious" movies and is back for "Fast & Furious 7," reposted the Thanksgiving image late Saturday night with a poetic message in memory of his friend and colleague:
"Your humble spirit was felt from the start, wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark, we were like brothers & our birthdays are only 1 day apart, now You will forever hold a place in all of our hearts@paulwalker legacy will live on forever. R.I.P."
He was among the many F&F stars to offer words of support and sorrow via social media in the hours following the sad news.
A statement from Universal Pictures,posted on NBC's Today Show site, read: "All of us at Universal are heartbroken. 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. We send our deepest and most sincere condolences to Paul's family."
"Fast & Furious 7," starring Vin Diesel, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, still has close to a month of filming yet to be completed in Atlanta.
Labels: Paul Walker Died
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 11:41 AM
