What Happened to the ‘Fast & Furious’ Star ArticlePure

Paul Walker continues to be remembered 11 years after his death, especially among Fast & Furious fans.

Apart from his acting work across different movies and shows, Walker was also known for his charitable service. On Nov. 30, 2013, he was leaving an event for the charity he founded, Reach Out WorldWide (ROWW), when he died in a car crash. Walker was 40 years old.

Now, his memory lives on through the screen, as well as his daughter Meadow Walker. In 2015, she founded The Paul Walker Foundation, which she continues to be the chairwoman of today. During different moments in her personal life, Meadow pays tribute to her late dad, whom she calls her “guardian angel.”

In a November 2023 interview with PEOPLE, Walker’s brother, Cody Walker, shared that the actor impacted those around him and wished Walker could see it for himself all these years later.

“I would tell him that his legacy is continuing on,” Cody said. “I would tell him that the organization that he created, ROWW, is still alive and well and still helping people all over the world.”

To mark 11 years since the actor’s death, here’s a look at what happened the day Paul Walker died and the legacy he left behind.

How did Paul Walker die?

Paul Walker died as a passenger in a single-car collision. The actor was riding in his friend Roger Rodas’ red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT.

The pair originally met at a California Race Club, and Rodas was later part of a motor racing team with Walker, according to CNN. On the day of their deaths, the friends were leaving a ROWW charity event, which was raising funds for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Per the coroner’s report, Walker’s death was caused by the combined effects of “traumatic and thermal” injuries. It mentioned that “for an unknown reason the driver lost control of the vehicle,” causing it to strike the sidewalk, trees and a lamppost.

“The force of these collisions caused the vehicle to spin 180 degrees and it continued to travel in an easterly direction,” the report detailed.

The car’s passenger side hit trees and the vehicle burst into flames. The report found no evidence of drugs or alcohol being used at the time.

When did Paul Walker die?

Walker died on Nov. 30, 2013, at approximately 3:30 p.m.

Later that day, Walker’s official Facebook page and X (formerly Twitter) account confirmed his death.

“It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker has passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event,” it read.

Where did Paul Walker die?

Walker was killed in a single-vehicle collision in Valencia, a neighborhood within Santa Clarita, Calif., near the Rye Canyon Loop.

That day, he and Rodas attended an event for Walker’s charity, ROWW, where they departed before the accident. Rodas was driving his red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, which crashed into a concrete lamp post and two trees when he lost control.

What were Paul Walker’s final words?

A friend of Walker’s, Jim Torp, recalled the last words he exchanged with the actor before his death.

Speaking to ABC News, he shared that he was at the charity event with Walker and Rodas. “‘Hey, I’ll be right back in 5 minutes.’ Those are the last words I heard,” Torp told the outlet.

How did the public react to Paul Walker’s death?

In the wake of Walker’s death, there was an outpouring of support from the entertainment community and beyond.

Walker’s Fast & Furious costar, Vin Diesel — who is also Meadow’s godfather — spoke at the crash site two days after the collision. Using the public address system on a sheriff’s car, he addressed a gathered crowd.

“If he could see for himself that all of you have showed up to show my brother love at this hard time, and his family gets to see all of you show the love that you’ve shown Paul, it’s going to stay with me forever,” he said.

In a touching tribute, rapper and fellow Fast & Furious cast member Ludacris wrote, “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. R.I.P.”

There was also a flood of messages online, with various celebrities sending condolences to the family. On X, Michael B. Jordan, Ellen DeGeneres, Gisele Bündchen and more mourned the actor.

In 2015, Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth released “See You Again,” commissioned as a tribute to Walker for the soundtrack of Furious 7, which Walker was filming when he died.

It became Khalifa’s most popular single to date and Puth’s second most popular, spending 12 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and it received three Grammy nominations.

What has Meadow Walker said about her father’s death?

Walker’s daughter Meadow continues to send birthday and Father’s Day wishes to her dad on social media.

“Happy birthday to my best friend. I love and miss you so much every day,” she captioned a throwback photo of them in September 2024. “Thank you for everything. My forever guardian angel.”

The year prior, in November 2023, on the 10th anniversary of his death, Meadow posted a video on Instagram with the message, “10 years without you… I love you forever.”

In her everyday life, she believes her father sends her signs. “Four and seven are my dad’s favorite numbers,” she told E! News in May 2023. “I swear whenever I’m doubting anything … I start seeing four and seven everywhere. So I always know that it’s him.”

The same year, the late actor’s brother, Cody, told PEOPLE that Walker “loved being a father.”

Meadow, is the founder and CEO of The Paul Walker Foundation, which “hopes to leave people better educated and equipped to deal with the challenges of tomorrow,” per its website.

What is Paul Walker’s legacy?

Today, Walker is remembered each year on the anniversary of his death on Nov. 30, as well as throughout the year, thanks to his acclaimed films and charitable legacy.

Walker’s younger brother, Cody, continues to uphold the memory of his older brother through ROWW, the charity Walker started after the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

He also carries an important lesson Walker taught him: always be kind.

“Paul didn’t care if you were the bellhop or the busboy or the waiter, some big CEO or some other famous person. He treated everybody the same,” Cody told PEOPLE in 2023.

Walker’s family and costars have stayed close over the years, too. In 2021, Meadow married Louis Thornton-Allan in a beachside ceremony in the Dominican Republic (though the couple have since split). Diesel and Jordana Brewster, another Fast & Furious costar, were in attendance. In a video Meadow shared afterward, Diesel was seen walking her down the aisle.