Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Remembers Paul Walker: "Losing a Loved One Jolts Our Hearts to the Core"

41-year-old pro wrestler turned actor took to Instagram to honor his dear friend

By Alyssa Toomey Dec 05, 2013 5:10 PMTags
Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson Alex J. Berliner/AP Images

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is reminding us all to appreciate our loved ones in the wake of Paul Walker's tragic death.

The 41-year-old pro wrestler turned actor—who was filming Fast & Furious 7 with the late 40-year-old star when he suddenly died in a fiery car crash on Saturday, Nov. 30, in Santa Clarita, Calif., while attending a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide—took to Instagram on Wednesday, Dec. 4 to honor his dear friend.

"Losing a loved one jolts our hearts to the core," Johnson, who also costarred with Walker in both Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6 wrote. "It also has a very special way of helping us move forward to live & love as greatly as possible. Hug our loved ones a little tighter. Pray a little stronger. Work a little harder. Smile a little bigger. Life goes on and memories are forever cherished... #PW"

NEWS: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson remembers Paul Walker and their bond over fatherhood

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The meaningful message was accompanied by a photo of the famous friends, which shows Walker wrapping his arm around Johnson as both men beam from ear to ear.

This isn't the first time the Hercules star has opened up about Walker's tragic passing. He previously spoke out about the pair's bond over fatherhood and shared his first thoughts when he heard about the crash in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly

"When I first met Paul, I think in our late 20s, we were young kids in the business," he said. "Then years later, when I did Fast Five, we had an opportunity to spend a lot of time together and become reacquainted. At that time, we had both been in the business at that time for over a decade, and the most important thing that we had in common was the importance of family time and being a great father to our daughters. We bonded over that."

VIDEO: Watch Universal's Paul Walker tribute video

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Walker is survived by his 15-year-old daughter, Meadow, who is said to be "still in shock" following her father's sudden passing.

"Not surprisingly, when I got the news that he had passed away, the first words out of my mouth were, 'He has a daughter,'" Johnson told EW. "It's very sad. We can't help but to hope that their final time together was beautiful and strong and an amazing memory."

A touching 2-minute tribute video of some of Walker's finest Fast & Furious moments has most recently been posted to the franchise's Facebook page in honor of the late star.

If you'd like to learn more about Paul's charity, Reach Out Worldwide, or make a donation, please visit https://www.roww.org.