Vin Diesel is keeping Paul Walker in his heart year after year.
The Guardians of the Galaxy star commemorated the nine-year anniversary of Paul's death by sharing a throwback photo of himself and the late actor to Instagram. Vin captioned the Nov. 29 post, "Nine years… love you and miss you."
Paul died on Nov. 30, 2013 at age 40 due to a car crash. And in the years since his passing, Vin has been vocal about the tremendous loss he has suffered having been very close to Paul—who he acted alongside in five Fast & Furious films—for over a decade.
Immediately following the tragedy of his passing, Vin shared a touching tribute in honor of him and his legacy.
"Pablo, I wish you could see the world right now… and the profound impact, your full life has had on it, on Us… on me," Vin wrote on Facebook at the time, referring to his nickname for Paul.
He continued, while paying homage to Paul's Fast & Furious character Brian O'Conner, "I will always love you Brian, as the brother you were… on and off screen."
Vin said he visited some of the actor's loved ones after his death, and learned a great lesson in the process.
"I thought they needed my strength, but realized when I got there and broke down before his family, that it was I who needed theirs," he wrote. "His mother hugged me and said, I am so sorry… I said sorry? You're the mother who lost a son?... She said yes, but you lost your other half."
He's also kept close to Paul's brother Cody Walker and Paul's 24-year-old daughter Meadow—who Vin walked down the aisle at her 2021 wedding.
Last year, Vin recalled how Paul's advice as a father to Meadow helped him when he was expecting a child of his own.
"I told you that I was about to have a baby and didn't know what to expect at the hospital which I was heading to after work. Will never forget what you told me," Vin recalled in a November 2021 Instagram post. "You said a lot of tough guys will tell you to wait out side of the delivery room, but that's wrong. Go in there, actually cut the umbilical cord and it will be the best day of your life."
It turns out that Vin's daughter Hania (he shares the 14-year-old with Paloma Jiménez) went on to have a major role in Meadow's nuptials years later.
"The same angel that you helped me prepare for in the most beautiful way with your brotherly advice is the same angel that precious Meadow asked to be her Maid of Honor," Vin continued. "How could I have known that back on the 2008 set of Fast... but maybe somehow you did."