Hollywood was rocked by the tragic passing of Paul Walker in November 2013 at the age of just 40.
And the late actor’s The Fast and The Furious cast mates have been deeply affected by the loss, paying tribute to their friend and ‘brother’ during a live panel event to unveil the latest film Furious 7’s trailer, held at Universal Studios in Hollywood on Sunday.
The action franchise’s stars – Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Jason Statham – were subdued and close to tears as they remembered Paul, who died in a car crash in Los Angeles.
‘It’s touching because we lost such a special person, a special angel. That was the beginning of that, and allowed for us to have this multicultural brotherhood and family.
Filming for the newly-renamed movie was already underway at the time of Paul’s death, so his brothers Caleb and Cody stepped into his shoes to complete the final scenes.
Trailer debut: The franchise’s stars (from left to right) Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Ludacris and Jason Statham came together to promote the new film
Sad loss: Michelle was consoled by Tyrese as she broke down during the panel event
The gang found it tough completing the film without the handsome hero and explained that their close-knit bond helped them pull through during the difficult time.
Tyrese said: ‘Even when that moment happened, of us losing our family and Paul, we all have our own immediate circle of family and friends and loved ones, but they didn’t know Paul the way we knew Paul.
‘I was at Vin’s house, I did everything I could possibly do, you know, Jordana [Brewster] was out of town a lot [filming Dallas]…
In action: Paul Walker (centre), had played lovable central character Brian O’Conner in the street racing franchise since 2001
Remembering Paul: Jordana and Ludacris took a moment to pay their respects to Paul
‘We did whatever we had to do as a family to, like, rebuild each other and have the conversation that only we could have, to help us to get through that very rough patch.’
The new trailer hit the internet on Sunday after the event to a rapturous response from fans of the franchise, which has been going since 2001.
The film, which is out in April 2015, is humanitarian and actor Paul’s last work.
