Meadow Walker, Paul's daughter inspired him to continue acting; Fast and Furious star on being Christian
Paul Walker's daughter Meadow had encouraged her father to continue acting after reaching the age of 40.
The Fast and the Furious actor who was just 40 at the time of his sudden death, had previously revealed that he was contemplating taking a step back from his career to reassess his life when he was inspired by his daughter to continue acting.
The late actor had made these comments to GQ UK in August. "It's so funny, my daughter now lives with me full time and my original plan was to work up until I was 40 then reassess my life, even go in a completely different direction with things.
"She keeps encouraging me to do all this stuff. I thought at this point in my life I would need to be home with her, but she wants me to keep acting so she can travel around the world with me. Would that be so bad? Thing is, I went to a born-again Christian high school, was brought up in a traditional Mormon family where these ideas about parenting are of structure and sacrifice. To think outside of that idea of family and parenting that I've grown up with is tough, but also very freeing."
Walker is survived by his 15-year-old daughter Meadow, father Paul Walker III, mother Cheryl Walker, brothers Cody and Caleb, sister Ashley.
His family and friends are said to be devastated by the sudden loss of the actor, and all have gathered at the Walker family home to mourn.
Walker Sr struggled to hold back tears as he told CBS2 on Sunday: "I'm just glad that every time I saw him, I told him I loved him. And he would say the same thing to me. You can't beat friends at a time like this. His brothers are all taking it pretty hard."
He spoke of his granddaughter Meadow, recalling that his son had wanted to spend more time with her."[He told me], 'I want to take a hiatus, she's just 15, and I don't have much more time to be with her.' And then boom, he got another movie. He would say, 'I don't know what to do.' His heart was so big. I was proud of him every day of his life."
Walker, who grew up in a Mormon household, later became a non-denominational Christian. He was quoted as saying, "I'm a Christian now. The things that drove me crazy growing up was how everyone works at fault-finding with different religions. The people I don't understand are atheists. I go surfing and snow boarding and I'm always around nature. I look at everything and think, 'Who couldn't believe there's a God? Is all this a mistake?' It just blows me away."
Walker was the founder of charity Reach Out WorldWide (ROWW). He was at an event for his charity to support victims of Typhoon Haiyan when he tragically passed away in a car crash. His untimely death shocked the world, and members of his organization have released a statement on Walker's life and work.
ROWW's JD Dorfman stated: "Paul wasn't someone who would just write a check and lend his name to an organisation; he was the heart and soul of Reach Out WorldWide. Paul was the first one in and the last one out, he led by example and his hard work and dedication inspired everyone who had the privilege of working with him. He led one of the first teams into the hardest hit areas of Haiti and traveled to Chile to bring water, medical aid and hope after the Earthquake and Tsunami. He ran a chainsaw clearing debris and helping people get back into their homes during the hottest days after the tornadoes in Alabama... Some people play a hero, Paul was a hero. Paul was an honorable, hardworking, dedicated, respectful man with a humble spirit who shared his blessings with those who needed it most. It was an honour and a privilege to be able to work with, learn and look up to someone who walked the walk."
The statement continued, "Paul Walker was truly an amazing person and his impact will be forever felt. As the ROWW family mourns the loss of our founder, leader, brother and friend we pledge to carry out his dream of helping those when they need it most. Paul's legacy and good will lives on through ROWW."