Paul Walker death: Vin Diesel leads tributes to Fast and Furious star

Fans and fellow actors have honoured Walker following his death

Actor Paul Walker died in a car crash near Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon (Getty Images)

Tributes have flooded in for Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker, who died on Saturday afternoon in a Los Angeles car crash.

Friends, actors and hordes of fans took to social media to express their shock and sadness, following the popular 40-year-old's untimely death.

Fellow Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel posted a series of pictures on Twitter and Instagram of himself with his “brother” Walker, along with messages speaking of his grief.

“Brother, I will miss you very much. Heaven has gained a new angel,” he wrote. “My brother and I, we aimed for the stars together. I feel honoured and blessed to of known such a wonderful guy. Rest in peace.”

Vin Diesel posted this photo of himself with Paul Walker on Instagram after hearing about his co-star's tragic death (Instagram)

Walker’s co-star Jordana Brewster honoured the actor’s “pure light” and told of her disbelief that he had gone, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson sent “all [his] strength, love and faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time” and close friend Tyrese Gibson was pictured crying at the scene before laying a single yellow rose.

Walker's only daughter, 15-year old Meadow Walker, posted a heartbreaking message on Instagram. "I'm having such a hard accepting the fact that he's never going to kiss me or hold me or watch me grown up," she wrote. "Lord please stop I can't take it anymore I just want my daddy back."

Director Rob Cohen described Walker and Diesel as “the perfect duo” for the Fast and Furious series after he cast him as undercover officer Brian O’Connor in the first film. Cohen paid tribute to the actor’s “American beauty, his athleticism, the directness of his approach to the character, his effusive, down-to-earth personality [which] brought joy to everyone around him”.

Universal Pictures spoke of the “devastating loss” to Walker’s family, the film industry and “countless fans”. “Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years,” a spokesperson said.

Rapper Ludacris posted a photo of a Fast and Furious scene in which the cast hold hands around a dinner table with the words “Thankful for the Fast Family”, writing under the picture that Walker’s “always left a mark” with his presence.

Fans began tweeting their condolences as the news spread, with many posting a poignant line they have attributed to Walker: “If speed one day kills me, do not cry because I was smiling”. It is thought that speed was a factor in the fatal accident, according to reports from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Tributes laid at the scene of the car crash in which actor Paul Walker died

Filming for the seventh Fast and Furious movie had started when a Porsche driven by a friend of Walker’s hit a lamp post and a tree while en route to a charity event. Both Walker and former racing car driver Roger Rodas, 38, were pronounced dead at the scene after their car burst into flames.

A statement on the actor’s Facebook page read: “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 organisation Reach Out Worldwide.

“He was a passenger in a friend’s car, in which both lost their lives. We are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news.”

Walker’s other acting credits included roles in Flags of Our Fathers, Eight Below, 90s romcom She’s All That and forthcoming films Brick Mansions and Hours.