'Fast and Furious' star Paul Walker killed in car crash

[News_Editor]

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) -- American actor Paul Walker, best known for his role in the "Fast and the Furious" film franchise, was killed Saturday when the vehicle he was in crashed into a tree near Los Angeles and burst into flames, sheriff's officials said. He was 40 years old.

The accident happened at around 3:30 p.m. local time on Saturday when a red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT slammed into a tree in the community of Valencia in Santa Clarita, a city near Los Angeles in Southern California. Patrol deputies who arrived at the scene found the vehicle engulfed in flames.

"When they arrived, deputies found the vehicle engulfed in flames. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded, extinguished the fire and subsequently located two victims inside the vehicle. The victims were pronounced dead at the scene," said Deputy Kim Manatt of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Manatt said the cause of the crash was under investigation, but added that speeding played a role.

The victims were identified as Walker and his business partner Roger Rodas, who owned the vehicle and is believed to have been the driver. "Sadly, I must confirm that Paul Walker did pass away in a crash," said Walker's publicist, Ame van Iden, in an e-mail. The bodies of the victims were not formally identified as of Sunday because the remains were burnt beyond recognition.

"It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide," said a statement on Walker's official Facebook account. "He was a passenger in a friend's car, in which both lost their lives. We appreciate your patience as we too are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news."

In another Facebook post, entrepreneur Bill Townsend described seeing Walker in the hours before his death. "He was surrounded by friends, talking about cars, seeing hundreds of gifts brought for kids to give out by charity. The news is terribly sad," Townsend said. "The world lost an angel and Heaven gained one."

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