As first reported by TMZ, then confirmed on Twitter by Los Angeles publicist Bumble Ward and production company Regency Enterprises, Fast & Furious franchise star Paul Walker died Saturday afternoon in a car accident in Valencia, California. Walker was 40. The actor's Facebook page later made a statement that Walker was leaving a charity event for his humanitarian aid organization, Reach Out Worldwide, and was riding as a passenger in a friend's car when they both died in a collision. According to Deadline, the car struck a tree in Rye Canyon Loop. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Walker got his start in show business as a baby in a Pampers commercial. As a young adult, he had guest roles on Who’s The Boss?, The Young And The Restless, and Touched By An Angel, and transitioned to movies in the Disney flop Meet The Deedles, as one of two surf bums who ends up as a park ranger at Yellowstone.
Other film roles followed, including a small part in Gary Ross’ Pleasantville, and the role of Freddie Prinze Jr.'s friend in She's All That, before Walker broke out as injured starting quarterback Lance Harbor in Varsity Blues. Though a modest success at the box office and receiving only mixed reviews, Varsity Blues became an enduring classic teen film, thanks in no small part to Walker’s role as James Van Der Beek’s best friend, and the player most affected by Jon Voight’s win-at-all-costs coaching strategy.