LOS ANGELES: Fans and fellow actors on Sunday mourned the death of Paul Walker, best known as undercover agent Brian O’Connor in the “Fast and Furious” action movies, in a fiery car crash in California.
Walker, 40, appeared in all but one of the six movies in the popular franchise, and was a leading protagonist along with Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez.
“It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide,” the late actor’s publicists wrote on his Facebook account on Saturday. “He was a passenger in a friend’s car, in which both lost their lives.”
The publicists wrote that they were “stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news.” The message was also linked to Walker’s Twitter account.
Walker was killed when the red Porsche sports car he was traveling in slammed into a tree and caught fire around 3:30 p.m. (2330 GMT) on Saturday in the town of Santa Clarita, in Los Angeles county, local media reported.
Witnesses recognized Walker and one onlooker even tried to pull him from the wreckage, the local Santa Clarita Valley Signal newspaper reported.
Walker was taking a Thanksgiving break from filming the seventh “Fast and Furious” movie, which had been scheduled for release in July. The crew had filmed in Atlanta and were set to travel to Abu Dhabi in January, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Walker had been at an event to raise money for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines for Reach Out Worldwide (ROWW), a non-profit disaster relief group the actor founded.
ROWW has sent teams of experts to help in natural disasters such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and tornado-stricken towns in the United States.
“Brother I will miss you very much,” wrote Hollywood star Diesel on his Instagram account. “I am absolutely speechless. Heaven has gained a new Angel. Rest in Peace.”
Another “Fast and Furious” co-star, Ludacris, wrote on Twitter: “Your humble spirit was felt from the start, wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark, we were like brothers & our birthdays are only 1 day apart, now You will forever hold a place in all of our hearts @paulwalker legacy will live on forever.”
And former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who also appears in the franchise, wrote: “All my strength, love & faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time. We find our strength.. in his light. Love you brother.”
The late actor is survived by his 15-year-old daughter Meadow.
In real life Walker raced cars, described himself on Twitter as an “outdoorsman, ocean addict,” and “adrenaline junkie,” and did many of his own movie stunts.
In a departure from his action movie roles, Walker is due to appear in “Hours,” an independent movie set for mid-December release about a father who struggles to keep his ailing infant daughter alive after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005.
Walker was also scheduled to star in the 2014 crime-action film “Brick Mansions,” a remake of the 2004 French movie District B13.
Before his “Fast and Furious” breakthrough Walker appeared in TV commercials as a child, and was in several 1980s TV shows. He became a teen heartthrob, appearing in such movies as “Pleasantville” (1988), “She’s All That” and “Varsity Blues” (both 1999).
The first “Fast and Furious” movie appeared in 2001.
The series, with its focus on fast cars, tough guys, sexy starlets and exotic locales, is one of Hollywood’s most lucrative global franchises.
Fans poured out their grief on social media, including the franchise’s pages on Instagram and Facebook.
More than one million people had either liked or commented in various languages on the death notice on Walker’s Facebook page.
“Fast and Furious will not be the same without you Paul!!” wrote fan Sedat Yildirim.
‘Fast and Furious’ actor dies in fiery car crash
‘Fast and Furious’ actor dies in fiery car crash
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
