Vin Diesel Remembers ‘Fast and Furious’ Co-Star Paul Walker in Tease of Latest Film

Vin Diesel posted a touching Instagram tribute to his friend and Fast & Furious costar, Paul Walker. Walker passed away in a car accident in 2013, and Diesel has kept his memory alive on and off-screen ever since. In his latest tribute, Diesel promised that F9 would be the best franchise installment yet.

“The next chapter may be the best… but the weight, the reflections of true brotherhood will burden the soul in ways one can’t explain. Here’s to the ones who know loss…. and yet find a smile to meet the blessed day. All love, Always.”

Diesel marked the seventh anniversary of Walker’s death on Instagram on Nov. 30, 2020, writing “Seven years… Not a day passes… All love, Always.” Walker’s daughter, Meadow, commented on the post. “My forever angel,” she wrote. “My two protectors and supporters. He’s with us always [love-heart emojis] so blessed to call him and dad and best friend. Endless love [sic].”

Diesel told Maria Menounos in 2017 that Walker is never far from his mind when he is working on the franchise they starred in together. “There wasn’t a day, there wasn’t a scene, there wasn’t a second where I didn’t have Paul with me in the making of this movie,” Diesel said of making The Fate of the Furious. “It’s not making the movie without Paul, it’s, ‘What’s life like? What’s living like without Paul?’”

Diesel told Menounos about visiting Walker’s mother the day after his death. “The day after the tragedy,” Diesel said, “for me to fly from Atlanta that night and to show up at his mother’s house and for me to say to his mother, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ and for his mother to say to me ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry’ — I said, ‘Why? Why are you saying sorry to me?’ And she said, ‘Because you lost your other half.’”

“She was telling me something I wasn’t even aware of,” he continued. “I wasn’t aware of how profound the loss was. You don’t think about it while you’re living, and we’re probably all a little guilty of not telling people how much we love them while they’re here.” F9, which has been delayed numerous times due to the coronavirus pandemic, is supposed to hit theaters May 28, 2021.