Hollywood, Fans Mourn Death of Actor Paul Walker

(NECN/NBC News: Kate Larsen) - Paul Walker, actor, heart throb and car enthusiast, was killed Saturday afternoon when he and a friend were going for a ride in a sports car, which crashed into a tree and burst into flames.

"We responded in and found the vehicle was fully engulfed," said the LA county sheriff’s office.

Speed may have been a factor.

The LA county coroner says the two bodies in the car were too badly burnt to identify, but NBC News confirmed with Walker's publicist that he was killed in the crash. Walker's team posted on his Facebook page that they are stunned and saddened beyond belief.

Ruben Soto works in the business park near the crash site in Valencia and took photos of the car on fire.

"We smelt the smoke and we didn't pay much attention because this street on Friday and Saturday nights, a lot of the guys come up here with their fast cars and drift around this corner here," Soto said.

Paul walker skyrocketed to fame in 1999, co-staring in teen movies Varsity Blues and She’s All That. Two years later, he made a name for himself in The Fast and the Furious playing Brian O’Connor, a Los Angeles police officer involved in the underground street racing world.

The movie evolved into a two billion dollar franchise, one of Universal Studios' largest ever, with seven movies and a cult following.

"How can this happen, he just released a movie. I was just watching it the other day. Next thing you know he's gone," said Dominic Quiros, a fan.

Walker was 40-years-old.

Copyright NECNMIGR - NECN
Contact Us