In Loving Memory – Paul Walker

Since November 30th of this year has been 10 years since Paul Walker passed away, I found it fitting to create a blog post in dedication of him. I can’t believe how fast time flies. There was so much that has happened since then, but it still feels like I heard the news of his death for the first time yesterday. 

Paul Walker had a very particular reputation in the public eye, and it was a good thing. The day that he passed away, Paul and his long time friend Roger Rodas, spent the day at a toy drive event for his disaster relief charity, Reach Out Worldwide, founded in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He and his friend left in good spirits at around 3:30PM and of course being a car enthusiast he had to show up and show out. 

The charity event was held at a high-performance car shop owned by the friends so it only made since the pair showed up in a 2005 Porsche Carerra GT. Now, the car was known to be hard to handle and in fact only a few yards away from the shop is when all hell broke lose. Rodas was the one driving and lost control of the vehicle while going 100 MPH before the car hit a curb, a tree, a light post, and then another tree before bursting into flames.

This of course drew a crowd – everyone from the event came running out to try and help, including Rodas’s young son. Nothing they tried worked unfortunately. Paul was alive for a minute and 20 seconds after the impact frantically trying to get out of his seatbelt, but never made it. 

His daughter Meadow filed a wrongful death lawsuit after the incident holding onto the fact that her dad was still alive after the accident, even for a short period of time. She blamed Porsche for the lack of proper door reinforcements and fuel lines that break free to prevent a fire in case of fire in an accident. However, Porsche defended itself of course, saying Paul and Roger knew “knowingly and voluntarily assumed all risk, perils, and danger in respect to the use of the subject 2005 Carrera GT.” (Francis Kindon, DailyStar.co, 2023). 

The legal battle was finally resolved in 2017 with the wrongful death lawsuit being withdrawn and the terms of the settlement being kept private in respect to the family. It was rumored however, that Meadow received a $10.1 million settlement from Porsche, which for them was nothing to make this go away.     

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Paul William Walker IV was born on September 12, 1973 in Glendale, California, United States to parents, Paul Walker III and Cheryl Walker. He was the oldest of his three other siblings (Ashlie Walker – 1976, Caleb Walker – 1977, and Cody Walker – 1988) however, his half-sister (Amie Walker – born 1967) was the oldest among all of them. 

Growing up, Paul was very close with his brothers and sisters but unlike them who wanted to keep their lives private, Paul wanted to live loud. Paul and his brother Cody were both into acting, with Cody even stepping in to finish the rest of the 7th series Fast and Furious movie following Paul’s sudden death. But Paul wasn’t always into acting and even studied (and graduated) in Marine Biology after attending a few community colleges in Southern California. 

Although Paul was known for his iconic role as Brian O’Conner in the Fast and Furious franchise, he was also known for his roles in some pretty name drop worthy shows. He did begin his acting career very early on in life, working as a child actor first. Starting out in the 80’s, 1986 to be exact, Paul made his debut in the movie scene with a role in the horror spoof, Monster in your Closet. He transitioned into acting in tv shows in the 90’s for a while, even making an appearance in the very popular drama, The Young and The Restless. Some of you may also know him from the 1999 film Varsity Blues, when he officially left his TV days behind him. 

Now Paul was a very peaceful person outside of acting, but it really was a role he was studying for that drove him to find his passion – martial arts. He studied many different forms of it including, Jujitsu, Taekwondo, Jeet Kune Do and Eskrima. In a magazine interview, Paul had mentioned he would be interested to enroll in the Keysi Fighting Method when it comes to the United States. However, there was something Paul loved more than pursuing his passion, his daughter Meadow Rain Walker. Meadow was only 15 years old when her father tragically passed away, but went on to make him proud. Read about her accomplishments (and wedding) here.  

Paul also loved travelling and even got to see a lot of different places in his short time on Earth. Asia seemed to really peak his interest as he visited: India, Fiji, Costa Rica, Sarawak, Brunei, Borneo and other parts of the Asian continent. 

Following his death, the 7th series Fast and Furious movie was released. Near to the end of the movie, the franchise made tribute to him through his character (Brian O’Conner) when they had him drive off into the sunset. The song “See You Again” by Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa also was a tribute to Walker (as they played this song during the scene). 

Net Worth

When Paul died in 2013, his net worth was $25 million, but with a $10 million salary, this was not surprising. It is worth noting, had Paul survived the car accident he was in, he would have earned anywhere between $30-80 million from his career alone. The exact value of his estate and assets may have changed due to various factors, including inheritance, royalties, and investments made by his estate, simply meaning an exact figure can not be given. Note: Net worth estimates are always subject to inflation (or deflation) and don’t accurately reflect the real value of one’s assets.  

Personal Life

Paul Walker was never married to Meadow’s mom, Rebecca Soteros, she was actually his girlfriend at the time she got pregnant. The relationship was kept extremely private, but the two did grow up together and even met in early 1998, the same year that not only Meadow was born but also when Paul’s acting career really began to take off. Now, having a child out of wedlock was against Paul’s beliefs entirely, especially given the fact that he was raised a Mormon and graduated from Village Christian School. But he welcomed the opportunity to be a father and was the best one to Meadow that he could be. 

Paul and Rebecca broke up shortly after Meadow was born, with Rebecca being the parent to gain custody over Meadow. They moved to Hawaii, but, Rebecca’s addiction to alcohol (which was something she battled with previously) took a toll on her keeping custody over Meadow. At 13 years old, Meadow moved back with her father and lived with him until his passing.

Final Thoughts

Thoughts and prayers remain with the family even 10 years later. Seeing your loved one on the big screen in movies that are iconic must be really bittersweet remembering them for who they were and wondering what they would be like now. We may have lost another great legend, but his legacy will live on in his fan’s hearts and the world. I leave you with this quote, as only Paul could say these words so beautifully, “If one day speed kills me, do not cry because I was smiling.” ~ Paul William Walker IV.