Earlier today, actor Paul Walker — most famous for his role of Brian O’Conner in THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS films — passed away in a fiery car crash alongside a friend. Walker was the passenger.

The crash was unrelated to the filming of FAST & FURIOUS 7 and it’s unforeseen how this unfortunate event will affect the film (as of now, it’s scheduled for a July 11, 2014 release date).

The report first came from TMZ and was later confirmed through Walker’s official Twitter and Facebook pages by his ‘TeamPW’:

It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide. He was a passenger in a friend’s car, in which both lost their lives. We appreciate your patience as we too are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news. Thank you for keeping his family and friends in your prayers during this very difficult time. We will do our best to keep you apprised on where to send condolences. – #TeamPW

Universal Studios issued a statement tonight at 10:40pm EST:

All of us at Universal are heartbroken. Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the FAST AND FURIOUS films, and to countless fans. We send our deepest and most sincere condolences to Paul’s family.

To read further updates on this horrible news (or to share your thoughts), you can follow HDN’s official “Paul Walker R.I.P.” forum thread here.

Paul is survived by his 15-year-old daughter, Meadow.

~K