Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker dies in California car crash

US actor Paul Walker, who starred in the Fast & Furious series of action films, has been killed in a car crash in California.

Walker, 40, was a passenger in a Porsche sports car driven by a friend – who also died – when it crashed north of Los Angeles.

Walker was said to be attending a charity event at the time.

He starred in all but one of the films in the Fast & Furious franchise, the sixth of which opened in May.

Walker also starred in the suspense drama Hours, a movie that is set for release this month.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department said the crash happened in the community of Valencia.

Another Fast & Furious star, the rapper Ludacris, wrote: “Your humble spirit was felt from the start, wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark, we were like brothers.”

Walker began acting as a young boy when his mother, a model, took him to auditions for commercials.