Santa Clarita, California (CNN) -- Actor Paul
Walker, who shot to fame as star of the high-octane street racing
franchise "Fast & Furious," died in a fiery car crash in Southern
California on Saturday. He was 40.
Walker was in the
passenger seat of a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, driven by a racing team
partner, that slammed into a light pole and burst into flames in an
office park in the community of Valencia in Santa Clarita, about 30
miles north of Hollywood.
Walker's publicist Ame
van Iden confirmed his death Saturday. The driver, identified by CNN
affiliate KCAL-TV as Roger Rodas, also died.
"Thank you all for your
condolences and prayers while we mourn the loss of our loved ones," read
a message posted on the Facebook page for Always Forever, the
high-performance car shop owned by Rodas.
Los Angeles Coroner
Investigator Dana Bee told CNN on Sunday it would likely take 48 hours
to officially identify the remains taken from the twisted wreckage. The
families are gathering dental records for use in the identification,
which is necessary because of the condition of the bodies, Bee said.
Speed was a factor in the
crash, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said. A 45 mph speed
limit sign was attached to the light pole knocked down by the Porsche.
The car, which sold for
$450,000 when new, is a notoriously difficult vehicle to handle, even
for professional drivers, according to Autoweek magazine. A top driver
called it "scary," the magazine reported Sunday. It is powered by a
V-10, 610-hp engine.
How will film go on after Walker's death?
View scene of Walker's deadly car crash
Paul Walker killed in car crash
The wreck took place
about 3:30 p.m. just a few hundred yards from the shop owned by Rodas.
Both men had attended a holiday toy drive for Walker's charity, Reach Out Worldwide, hosted at the shop Saturday afternoon.
Antonio Holmes told the
Santa Clarita Valley Signal newspaper that he was at the charity event
when Walker and Rodas left for a ride in the Porsche.
"We all heard from our
location," Holmes told the Signal. "It's a little difficult to know what
it was. Someone called it in and said it was a vehicle fire. We all ran
around and jumped in cars and grabbed fire extinguishers and
immediately went to the vehicle. It was engulfed in flames. There was
nothing. They were trapped. Employees, friends of the shop. We tried. We
tried. We went through fire extinguishers."
A crowd of grieving
fans, curious onlookers and media surrounded the crash site for hours,
watching as investigators and firefighters worked to extract the bodies
from the wreckage. A memorial of flowers, left by fans, remained on the
charred roadside Sunday.
Walker and Rodas had
planned Saturday as a day to help survivors of victims of Typhoon Haiyan
in the Philippines. The car shop website invited customers to the
Charity Toy Drive & Automotive Social Gathering.
"During the holiday
season, many economically disadvantaged children from around the world
are faced with the same dilemma year after year; the lacking of joy and
cheer," the invitation read. "Our goal here is to be able to provide aid
to these less fortunate children in hopes of helping them grow up to
become confident, responsible and productive young adults."
Walker's charity is
described as "a network of professionals with first responder skill-sets
who augment local expertise when natural disasters strike in order to
accelerate relief efforts."
The website lists Rodas as captain and lead driver of the shop's racing team. Walker is also listed as a team driver.
Walker's generosity
Tales of the actor's
philanthropy are not new. CNN confirmed one story from a decade ago when
Walker noticed a young U.S. military veteran shopping with his fiance
for a wedding ring in a Santa Barbara jewelry store.
"The groom was just back
from duty in Iraq, and he was going to be deployed again soon and
wanted to buy a wedding ring, but he said he just could not afford it,"
saleswoman Irene King told CNN. "I don't think the soldier realized how
expensive those rings are, about $10,000."
Although Walker noticed them, the couple apparently did not know who he was, King said.
"Walker called the
manager over and said, 'Put that girl's ring on my tab,' " she said.
"Walker left all his billing info, and it was a done deal. The couple
was stunned. She was thrilled and could not believe someone did this."
King called it "the most generous thing I have ever seen."
Box office success
Walker's career began on
the small screen, first with a commercial for Pampers when he was 2,
and then with parts in shows such as "Highway to Heaven" and "Touched by
an Angel."
His first few movie roles were as supporting characters in teen flicks, most notably in "Varsity Blues."
His career really took
off when he was cast as undercover cop Brian O'Conner infiltrating a
street-racing gang in 2001's "The Fast and the Furious."
The box-office success
of the surprise summer hit yielded numerous sequels. And along with Vin
Diesel, Walker was one of the franchise stalwarts.
At the time of his death, he was working on the seventh film of the franchise, due out next year.
Walker wasn't just a car enthusiast on the silver screen; offscreen, the actor competed in the Redline Time Attack racing series.
On his verified Twitter
account, Walker described himself as "outdoorsman, ocean addict,
adrenaline junkie ... and I do some acting on the side."
Walker also is the star
of "Hours," an independent film scheduled to be released December 13
about a father struggling to keep his newborn infant alive in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Twitter and other social media exploded with reactions to Walker's death.
"Completely numb and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Paul Walker," wrote one.
Hollywood condolences came from Will Smith, Jack Osbourne, DMX and others.
"No, @RealPaulWalker. No. No. No," tweeted actress Alyssa Milano.
Walker appeared with her as a guest star in the '80s comedy "Who's the
Boss?" "Rest with the angels. You. Sweet boy. #beauty #love #RIP."
Walker is survived by his 15-year-old daughter, Meadow.
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