Late Paul Walker was an American actor and will forever be remembered for portraying ‘Brian O’Conner’ in the Fast and Furious Franchise. The former thespian died tragically from an auto crash on November 30, 2013, at the age of 40. Following his gruesome death, Walker left a number of people to mourn him including his daughter and brothers.
Walker’s daughter Meadow, for example, made news headlines when she, at barely 16 years of age, sued Porsche, the maker of the car in which her dad died. As for Walker’s brothers, Cody and Caleb, they also caught the spotlight when they were contracted to stand in for their late brother in the Fast and Furious project in Furious 7 which ended up becoming the most successful movie in the franchise.
However, after all the hullabaloo that attended the superstar’s death and the attempts of his family members to secure some of the assets he left behind, nothing more seems to have been heard about them. But before we delve into the whereabouts of those who he left behind, let’s take a look at how Paul Walker rode to his untimely death in 2013.
How Did Paul Walker Die?
The car crash that claimed the life of Paul Walker happened on the last day in November 2013 while he and his long-time friend and business partner Roger Rodas rode in a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. It was Rodas who manned the steering wheel and reportedly drove at the speed of between 130 to 150 km/hr in a 72 km/hr zone in Santa Clarita California.
According to overwhelming reports, the two dead friends were both returning from an event for their co-owned Reach Out Worldwide charity for victims of Typhoon Haiyan when they crashed into a concrete post and trees. The car caught fire and both passengers were burnt beyond recognition.
Nothing found in the car showed that any of the occupants was guilty of DUI. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death for Paul Walker was due to a combined effect of trauma and burns while Rodas’ death was due to trauma only. Walker was cremated and his ashes was buried at Forest Lawn, Los Angeles, California.
What We Know About Paul Walker’s Daughter And the Legal Battle She Instituted Against Porsche
The actor Paul Walker was never married while he lived. But he had a daughter with his former girlfriend, Rebecca Soteros.
She was born on November 4, 1998, in Northern California, and was named Meadow Rain Walker. Meadow was largely raised by her mother after the relationship between her parents could not continue. However, she had a very good relationship with her father and later moved to Los Angeles to stay with him. Meadow was (and still is) Paul Walker’s only daughter and child.
Considering that Meadow was still a minor at the time of her father’s passing, there was a heated legal battle on who was to have custody of her. The battle was between her mother Rebecca and her paternal grandmother, Cheryl Walker. Since the legal fight was triggered in the first place as a result of Rebecca’s drunkenness, the dueling parties ended up reaching an agreement that Meadow’s mother would seek rehabilitation before she could have full custody of her daughter.
She Dragged Porsche To Court Over Her Father’s Death
Just as there was a legal war over who would have her custody, Meadow would soon be going to court herself. Barely sixteen at the time, she filed a lawsuit (which she subsequently lost) against Porsche blaming the carmaker for her father’s death while stating that the car’s design defects, seat belt placement, and instability were contributing factors to his death.
Rodas’ widow, Kristine Rodas also filed and lost the same lawsuit. While Mrs. Rodas defended her claim by stating how competent a driver her husband was, Porsche said his professionalism cannot rule out the possibility of human error. It was also discovered that Rodas’ driving, as well as the vehicle’s over-used tyres, were the primary reasons for the accident.
How Meadow Walker Became A Young Millionaire After Her Celebrity Father’s Death
Walker’s daughter later discovered that her dad was in a deal with Universal Films to make three more Fast and Furious movies. Per estimates, these films would have increased Walker’s net worth to $80 million. As a result of the magnitude of his lost earnings, Meadow then filed and won a lawsuit against Rodas’ estate receiving $10.1 million settlement from the combined assets of the two friends who were together in life and in death.
AspPer reports, $7 million out of the settlement windfall was placed in a trust for her while Attorney Jeff Milam received $3 million. In Forbes’ 2015 list of highest-earning dead celebrities, Walker came 9th with earnings of $10.5 million. This means also that Walker’s heir, Meadow earned this stated amount.
Where Is She Now?
Yes, we know she is now living happily off the many years of the sweat of her late father. It has been revealed that the young daughter of the late actor Paul Walker currently lives somewhere in New York City and is working on becoming the next Model of the Year. She drives posh cars, carries handbags decorated with diamond stones, and of course, she owns every real estate her father left behind.
Meadow Walker also spends the money on charity in memory of her later father. She runs a non-profit outfit named The Paul Walker Foundation. According to its website, the organization is simply meant to carry on Paul Walker’s spirit of charity and passion for the ocean. She even shared a post about her intended visit to some inner-city school children in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who Are The Late Actor’s Brothers And What are They Doing Now?
Apart from his daughter, ex-girlfriend, and mother, Paul Walker also left other members of his family behind. Of course, his father Paul Walker III and his mother Cheryl had other children – his sisters, Ashley and Amie Walker, and his brothers, Cody and Caleb Walker. As earlier mentioned, his brothers played various parts in Furious 7, standing in for their late brother.
As a result of Paul’s untimely death, the filmmakers rescheduled the release date to April 3rd, 2015. Certainly, due to the plethora of news that swelled around Paul Walker’s death, Furious 7 became the highest-grossing movie of the franchise with over $1.5 billion earned worldwide. It became the 3rd highest-grossing movie of 2015 and the 6th all-time.
Both Caleb and Cody have gone ahead to make good use of the spotlight they generated from their late big brother and have continued as actors. Since standing in for his late brother Paul Walker, Cody has appeared in a handful of movies including USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016), In the Rough (2016), I Am Paul Walker (2018), and Shadow’s Wolves (2019). He also had a role in the 2020 American war drama film The Last Full Measure. As for Caleb, apart from being a producer and acting in Furious 7, he also took roles in films such as The Ultimate Sacrifice (2012) and I Am Paul Walker (2018).
