The entertainment world was shaken to its core by the news of the tragic death of ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise star Paul Walker over the weekend.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says excessive speed was a factor in the death of Walker, 40, and his financial adviser, Roger Rodas, 38.
Rodas was at the wheel of a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT when it hit a light pole and wrapped itself around a tree near the site of a fundraiser that Walker attended on Saturday in Valencia, CA.
Emergency responders found the mens’ bodies nearly incinerated inside the mangled wreckage of the half million dollar sports car.
Walker’s death was a freakish footnote to the underground racing movie franchise that made him a household name.
Walker was as addicted to speed as Michael Jackson was to Propofol before it killed him.
According to a report on Yahoo News, Walker and Rodas owned a racing team together. And Rodas, the CEO of a custom car shop near the site of the crash, was an experienced driver who raced with Walker in at least 10 Pirelli World Challenge Series races.
But the streets are less forgiving than a crash tested race track. Neither Walker nor Rodas considered the safety of pedestrians when they went for a spin — at over 100 mph — on Saturday.
Not many people outside of Hollywood were sympathetic when they learned how Walker died.
As mourners, including Fast & Furious co-star Tyrese Gibson, gathered at the site of the crash to pay their respects, others saw Walker’s death as a fitting end to the life of a man who had a dangerous need for speed.
Tony had this to say on Yahoo News message board last night:
I almost wish Mr. Rodas survived so he could be charged with manslaughter. On second thought, driving is now safer for the rest of us with both of them gone – and having witnessed the horrors of this type of driving, I’m glad they’re gone.
Rodas worked at Merrill Lynch/Bank of America for 20 years and was named on a list of America’s Top 1000 Financial Advisers in 2010, 2011 and in 2012.
