Paul Walker was probably best known for the Fast & Furious franchise. But his career was
cut short in 2013, when he was killed in a horrific car accident at just 40 years old.
He left behind his then 15-year-old daughter, Meadow Rain Walker, who has since grown into
a passionate activist.
Meadow was born in 1998 to Paul and his then-girlfriend, Rebecca Soteros. Just 25 at the time, Paul
stayed in California where he could focus on his career, while Rebecca moved to Hawaii
with their newborn daughter.
"The dream is to have it all. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it, too?"
Even though Paul may have been a long-distance dad, he was closely involved in his daughter's
life. He supported her financially, but soon began to worry that he was missing out on
her formative years. He once told Entertainment Weekly,
"My heart was desperate for so many years with the situation with my daughter. She's
living in Hawaii and she's there and I'm running here."
And, just like the theme of the franchise they co-starred in, Vin Diesel also confirmed
to the outlet,
"[Meadow was] always the number one topic we would talk about. […] It always ultimately
came back to family."
For years, Paul had been talking about retiring in order to spend more time with his daughter.
As Paul's brothers told E! News, he claimed he only had a few years left until Meadow
would be graduating high school.
"Your daughter must think you're like the coolest dad in the whole wide world."
"Well, she thinks I'm a dork. She does."
According to his brother Caleb, Paul came to a final decision about retiring just a
few hours before his tragic death. As Caleb explained,
"[Paul] had a ground-breaking kind of come-to-Jesus [conversation] […] that day about how he
was going to map out being with Meadow. […] [Saying], 'Meadow's living with me now. I want to retire.
[…] I want to be full-time for Meadow.'"
Sadly, Paul's plans were in vain. That same day, he died in a horrific car crash, leaving
Meadow to grieve the devastating loss of her father. Following the accident, Paul's own
father shared Meadow's sorrow, telling Extra,
"We just did a lot of hugging. A lot of hugging. She's really broken up, really hard."
According to TMZ, the actor left his entire $25 million estate to his daughter.
After her father's death, Meadow spearheaded a lawsuit against Porsche . Claiming the company
was responsible for the tragedy, per ABC News, the lawsuit stated that the Porshe Carrera
GT's engine and poor safety features made it dangerous. The suit also alleged that faulty
seatbelt design trapped Paul in the car for a minute and 20 seconds after the crash. The
lawsuit was settled in 2015.
The next year, TMZ reported that Meadow received $7.2 million of a $10 million settlement.
After inheriting her father's large estate, it comes as no surprise that Meadow has been
able to live a pretty luxurious lifestyle. On Instagram, she can be seen on what looks
like a private yacht . And in another post, she was hanging out with Cindy Crawford's
daughter, Kaia.
Based on another snap, Meadow seems to live in an expansive home with a private pool.
By all accounts, it appears that Meadow enjoys the typically lavish lifestyle that many other
offspring of Hollywood's elite certainly do.
While it's clear that Meadow can afford all of life's luxuries, she also appears to find
time to pay it forward whenever she can. In 2020, she posted about a volunteer mission,
writing,
"I am so so excited to be working with [Pencils of Promise] to build a school in Ghana . […] I
am beyond blessed to be able to use the [Paul Walker Foundation] to Do Good and make a difference
in the world."
"The mission of the Paul Walker Foundation is simple; Do good."
According to her Instagram bio, Meadow has also spearheaded a movement called Everyone's
Invited, which aims to provide services within cultures of abuse and violence.
Meadow is closely involved with the Paul Walker Foundation. She posted to Instagram in 2015,
"Reflecting on my father, I found myself reflecting on his passions. His passion for the ocean,
his passion for rescuing animals, his passion for helping people, and his passion for spontaneous
goodwill."
"It's hard to talk about, but it's stuff like that just gets you."
Meadow originally launched the Paul Walker Foundation on her dad's birthday, September
12th, adding,
"I can't think of a better way to celebrate my father."
According to the official website for the foundation, one of its main focuses is protecting
the ocean. Meadow wrote,
"Growing up in Hawaii I developed a strong connection with the ocean. My father loved
the ocean, and was always teaching me new things."
Paul made a name for himself with his starring role in the Fast & Furious franchise. And
while the storyline was always about family, it appears that to this day, Meadow remains
close with Vin Diesel and his own real life family. In 2019, Diesel posted a photo of
Meadow with his daughter, writing,
"I could say that I am so proud of the person you are becoming […] but the truth is I
have always been proud of you."
"There's so much of him that lives in her."
It seems that Meadow really does spend quality time with Diesel and the gang. In an Instagram
post with the clan in 2020, she wrote, "Family forever."
These days, Meadow appears to be pursuing her own career in the modeling world. And
she is currently signed with DNA Models, having joined the agency in 2021.
Around the same time, Meadow revealed that she had been tapped as the new face of the
Proenza Schouler Pre-Fall campaign, posting on Instagram,
"I am so unbelievably grateful to everyone who has supported me and believed in me."
Meadow later made her runway debut with Givenchy , opening the show for Paris Fashion Week
in March 2021. While she's definitely making her mark in the modeling world, no matter
where life takes her, we're sure her dad would be proud to see just how far Meadow has come.
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