R.I.P Paul Walker (1973 – 2013)

I woke up this morning wishing the news I heard about last night was wrong:  “Actor Paul Walker, 40, died in car cash.”

With a heavy heart, the reality sank in. This was truth and not some sort of internet hoax. Yesterday, TMZ broke the story that Walker, along with friend Roger Rodas, had died in a fiery car crash in California earlier in the day. No time was wasted as media outlets started pouring the information onto the internet. IGN, ABC, CNN, Mashable, AMC Theaters, The Wall Street Journal, and more chimed in with all pretty much the same story:

The actor was in California doing an event for his charity organization, Reach Out Worldwide, where efforts go to support the Philippines typhoon relief. After the event ended, they decided to take out a 2005 red Porsche Carrera GT3 for a ride. The car was from Always Evolving Performance Motors, which Rodas owned. Minutes later, those still at the event and others nearby heard a boom and saw smoke. When people got to the scene, the saw the tragedy of the car crash and the fire.

Walker’s reps posted to his Facebook and Twitter accounts sadly confirming the actor’s death. As of now, out of all the news, social, and media sites out there – no one can confirm what exactly happened. Local officials say that those answers might come Monday. The actor’s enormous fan base have responded by the thousands in showing their sympathy for Walker’s family and friends.

In a more recent report from USA Today, Universal Pictures has made no mention of changing the release date or the content of the next movie, due out July 11th. Experts say that the fate of Fast 7 will heavily rely on how gracefully the studio handles this terrible tragedy and how Walker’s co-star and other face of the film’s franchise – Vin Diesel – handles the loss. It’s wildly known the two were incredibly close friends and were like family, along with other co-stars Tyrese and Ludacris. No doubt there will be more to come to cover this heartbreaking news as it unfolds. Just keep Paul and Roger, their family and their friends, in your thoughts.