Paul Walker Died 7 Years Ago Today

The tragic death of Paul Walker occurred seven years ago today. The Fast and the Furious actor died in a car crash in California while being a passenger driven by a friend when the accident took place. When officials arrived on the scene, the car was ablaze, with both men pronounced dead on sight. The speed at which the Porsche was going played a factor in the single-car crash. Walker was 40-years-old at the time of his death and left behind a then-15-year-old daughter, Meadow Walker.

On the seventh anniversary of his passing, his daughter paid tribute to her late father with a heartfelt message on Instagram. “A silly day to remember in sadness,” Walker began. “Today’s a celebration of the love and happiness you brought to the world.” The photo she shared was of the two napping together when she was a child. The image drew a few responses from some of Walker’s former Fast and the Furious castmates, including Tyrese Gibson and Nathalie Emmanuel. The former wrote in his comment they he misses her father every day, “Prayers love and light to you angel, I know none of this has been easy especially days like this.” Emmanuel followed up Gibson’s message by seconding that she misses Walker every day and reminded that her that his greatest achievement was bringing her into the world, “You are the most beautiful of them all.”

Walker’s official Twitter account, which is operated by members of his team and his namesake foundation, also put out a statement on Monday to pay tribute to the fallen actor. They applauded him being a “gracious and humble man” whom everybody loved. The message urged followers to step up on the eve of “Giving Tuesday” by donating to his foundation as a way to “honor his legacy.” Many fans of Walker also paid tribute to the California native. One user commented, “He is an inspiration to all of us and the car community, but mostly inspired us all through his humbleness and kindness to all of us he will be missed.” Another fan of his recalled the shocking realization of what that day seven years ago was like, “I remember it as if it were today when I received the news of his death. It was a blow, I didn’t believe it at the time and I didn’t want to.”