Standing with his arms around Caleb, 36, and his youngest brother Cody, 25, best man Paul beams in the fall sunshine as his brother celebrates his wedding to Stephanie Branch.
But poignantly, this was to be the last family wedding Paul, 40, would attend - and a stunning album of pictures by Chard photography gives a glimpse at the close-knit family who are now grieving following the actor's death in a car crash on Saturday.
Poignant: One of the last pictures of Paul Walker, as he celebrated the wedding of his beloved younger brother Caleb in October
Celebration: Just weeks before his death, The
Fast and The Furious star Paul Walker was the best man at his brother
Caleb's wedding in California to pretty blonde Stephanie
Best Man: Paul Walker gives a toast to the newlyweds at the Dove Canyon Country Club in Orange County, California, on October 23
In what would be some of the last photos ever taken of the star, Paul is seen posing with his fellow groomsmen at the wedding held on October 23 at Dove Canyon Country Club in Orange County, California.
In another shot, he cracks up laughing as Cody makes a joke while the brothers give a speech to the happy couple.
And he stands by a bridesmaid, in a pretty lilac dress, as he joins the newlyweds alongside their wedding party.
Caleb's bride Stephanie looks gorgeous in her full-length gown gown - but the celebration is a far cry from the scenes outside the Walker family home in California yesterday as Stephanie was seen hugging her father-in-law Paul Walker Snr while her new husband stood by in tears.
The Walker clan are said to be extremely close and yesterday, Paul's sister Ashlie Walker told MailOnline the family are trying to cope by using their Mormon faith.
Furious Ashlie, 37, also hit out at reports her brother and his his good friend Roger Rodas - who was at the wheel of a Porsche when they crashed in Los Angeles on Saturday - were drag racing at the time of their death.
Breaking her silence, Miss Walker said: 'They were absolutely not racing, that's a complete lie. It hurts us when we hear these lies and it makes our grief worse and more painful.
'These are irresponsible allegations and people are trying to make out speed and racing was the reason for his death when it was just a terrible accident.'
Brotherly love: Paul Walker and his youngest brother Cody, 25, give a toast at their brother Caleb's wedding to Stephanie Branch
Smiles: Beaming, the Walker brothers, from left, Cody, Caleb and Paul, pose in the fall sunshine at Caleb's October wedding
Brothers in arms: Paul Walker joins his brothers
and fellow groomsmen at Caleb Walker's wedding on October 23 - little
more than a month before his fiery death in a car crash
A close family member said Paul would be the 'biggest angel in heaven', adding: ‘Paul was a wonderful man and the best person you could ever meet. We are all totally distraught and beside ourselves with grief.
‘We can gain hope from this tragic accident through our strong Christian background and faith. We are grateful to be surrounded by such loving friends and family that have been praying for us and will be forever by our sides.
'We seek comfort in their love and our faith. We definitely believe that Paul has gone to a better place and is now with our heavenly father.
'We have a strong Mormon faith and although Paul wasn’t practicing at the time, he always had a very strong Christian faith.'
The source added that Paul's 15-year-old daughter Meadow, whose mother is the actor's ex-girlfriend Rebecca Soteros, was grieving and surrounded by family, adding: 'Meadow will continue to be surrounded by those who love her.'
Meadow only recently moved to Los Angeles to live with her father after being brought up in Hawaii by her mother - and in one his last interviews given just two weeks ago, he called her 'the best thing I have right now'.
Tears: Just a month after her wedding, Paul
Walker's new sister-in-law Stephanie hugs his father Paul Walker Snr
outside the family home on Monday as her husband Caleb Walker looks on
following the star's death
Final picture: Paul Walker stands next to the
Porsche Carrera GY that he was killed in when it crashed and burst into
flames in LA on Saturday
Mangled: Firefighters stand by the wreckage of
the crash in which Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas died in
Valencia, California, on Saturday
Memorial: Fans stand by the scene of the crash
in which Paul Walker lost his life. Police are still investigating the
tragedy - but have ruled out a theory the star and his friend were drag
racing
Paul was being driven in a red Porsche Carerra GT by his friend Roger Rodas when the sportscar careered into a tree and burst into flames.
And new CCTV footage has revealed the precise moment the car smashed - as one witness claimed that the crash was an accident not a drag race.
Accident investigators 'have received eyewitness statements that the car involved was travelling alone at a high rate of speed' the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a written statement on Monday. 'No eyewitness has contacted the [department] to say there was a second vehicle.'
The surveillance footage shot from a nearby rooftop camera and obtained by OMG! Insider shows a plume of black smoke billow into the sky in the seconds after the crash, just moments before what appears to be a large detonation sends a huge fireball skywards.
The footage of the deadly crash which claimed the lives of Paul and driver, Roger Rodas, 38, was released as images of the dramatic moment cops and emergency workers physically wrestled one of the Fast & Furious star's friends away from the scene also came to light.
And following the harrowing video and images, a professional driver who was at the charity show in Santa Clarita has come forward to claim that Rodas and Walker took their car out to check for a suspected mechanical issue and not for a joyride as has been claimed.
'As they were backing up the Carrera to put into the garage, it started stalling. I heard someone say, and I think it was Roger, "Why is the car stalling? Let’s take it around the block", the unidentified witness told Hollywood Reporter.
'Paul said, "Let me go with you really quickly".
'The whole premise of taking the car out for a drive was because something was wrong.'
Happy memories: Paul Walker, his brothers Caleb and Cody and groomsmen pose for one last photo
Sentimental: Paul Walker poses for what was to be the last family wedding he would attend
The individual, who has declined to be named, said from his experiences with Walker and Rodas that the two were not likely to engage in a high-speed race with the Porsche Carrera GT - a car that is notorious for its handling issues at speed.
'These guys are business owners and Paul was a celebrity. They are responsible people. It was more like, "What the hell is wrong with this car? Let’s see what’s wrong and go for a drive".
'These guys were more like, "That’s weird, the car is stalling, let’s figure it out".'
The dramatic images from the minutes after the crash show how Walker's friends arrived on the scene and desperately tried to put out the flames with fire extinguishers and reach their friend.
On Monday, Paul's Fast & Furious co-star Vin Diesel joined crowds who'd gathered to pay their respects.
Speaking through a police car loudspeaker, he said: 'If my brother were here right now and saw all the love that you're bringing here. If he could see for himself that all of you have showed up to show my brother love at this hard time. That his family gets to see all of you show the love that you've shown Paul. It's going to stay with me forever.
'I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for coming down here and showing that angel up in heaven how much you appreciate him. It's going to stay with me for ever.'
No comments:
Post a Comment