Paul Walker was only 40 and died the same way his most famous character, Brian O'Conner, could have died: he was killed yesterday in a car crash in Santa Clarita, L.A. County. The driver, Roger Rodas, was his financial counselor and a friend of his. They were on their way home, after an event held by Reach Out Worldwide, a charity organization with first responder skill-sets, aimed to accelerate relief efforts when natural disasters strike. It had been founded by Walker himself in 2010, with Rodas' help.
Walker had never been married and is survived by his only daughter, Meadow Rain, born in 1998.
The actor had a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, he loved surfing and sports in general. He was famous not only for his movies, among which there are Timeline, Running Scared and the worldwide appreciated Fast and Furious media franchise, but also for his career as a model.
Paul was born and raised in California and he was the perfect male archetype for the Golden State in collective imagination. Blond hair, deep blue eyes, chiseled features and a statuesque body turned him into a sex symbol since the early 2000s. His better known commercial is the Davidoff Cool Water perfume's campaign.
After hearing the news of Walker's untimely departure, studios, colleagues and friends released a series of statements, expressing their grief. Universal Pictures declared: “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”.
Vin Diesel, friend and movie partner, is extremely grief-stricken.
We are really sorry ourselves, and we hope that Reach Out Worldwide will keep its action in the countries that need it in Paul's memory.
(You can find the Italian version of this piece here)
