The worst thing about dying young is the hole you leave in so many lives. Paul Walker's car accident tonight must have shocked and devastated the people he's worked with over the years, and I can't imagine how this feels for the people who are part of the "Fast and Furious" franchise.
No one could have predicted that they would be shooting a seventh film right now when the first one opened a mere 12 years ago, and they certainly couldn't have predicted the way the franchise became a family affair over time, both onscreen and off. I can't think of any other action series that is so explicitly focused on the notion of the way we build our families, and I suspect that's a big part of the completely unironic appeal of the films.
Paul Walker's body was burned so badly the coroner needs his dental records to identify the body ... EMK has learned. A rep for the L.A. County Coroner tells us ... the bodies of Paul and his friend/business partnerRoger Rodas are currently unidentifiable and their autopsies will be delayed until later this week. We're told the coroner is waiting on both sets of dental records before proceeding. Rodas -- who was driving the Porsche yesterday -- was friends with Walker for nearly a decade ... and Roger has been credited with helping Paul start his race shop. The two also joined forces to create the "Reach Out World Wide" Foundation to help disaster relief in other countries -- and as we first reported ... the group was behind yesterday's fundraiser for typhoon relief in Santa Clarita. Paul's rep says Roger and Paul were leaving the event when they wrecked. Rodas was 38 years old. Moments before Paul Walker took what urned out to be a fatal ride -- he posed proudly next to the exotic car that exploded on impact in the deadly accident. Paul was photographed with the red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that belonged to his friend Roger Rodas. They were attending a fundraiser in Santa Clarita, CA.
We're told the photos and video were taken about 30 minutes before the accident.
