Vin Diesel recently took to Instagram to wish his late friend Paul Walker's daughter, Meadow, a happy 28th birthday. The actor shared a black-and-white candid photograph of himself and Meadow, accompanying it with a heartfelt caption.
"Proud of you beyond words… Happy Birthday angel… May you continue to bring light to this world," Diesel wrote. Meadow, who is Diesel's goddaughter, responded with a single red heart emoji in the comments section.
Walker tragically died in a car crash on November 30, 2013, at the age of 40, nearly 13 years ago. Meadow has continued to maintain a close relationship with Diesel, her father's friend and former 'Fast & Furious' castmate. She even appeared alongside him in the 2023 film 'Fast X'.
Meadow's mother is Rebecca Soteros, who dated Walker in the late 1990s. Diesel has spoken about his protective feelings towards Meadow, telling Extra in a 2021 interview, "She takes good care of me. She's the first person on Father's Day to wish me Happy Father's Day. To see her with my children is one of the most beautiful things."
Diesel famously walked Meadow down the aisle when she married Louis Thornton-Allan in 2021, though the couple finalized their divorce in 2024. Meadow has also publicly paid tribute to her late father. Last November, on the 12th anniversary of his passing, she shared photos with him on Instagram, writing, "12 years without you… I love you forever." She also posted tributes on Father's Day and what would have been his 52nd birthday.
Diesel has also expressed his enduring bond with Walker, writing in a past Instagram post, "The universe keeps placing angels in my path. I know you are a part of it... a brotherhood eternal. Love you forever..."
Earlier this year, Diesel announced that Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, would be reunited with his own character, Dom Toretto, in the final 'Fast & Furious' film. While the exact method of Walker's return has not been detailed, it is expected to involve the digital insertion of his likeness, similar to how his brothers Cody and Caleb stood in for scenes in 'Furious 7'.