What Paul Walker’s Daughter Meadow Looks Like Now, And How She’s Honored Her Father’s Legacy Since His Death
She started the Paul Walker Foundation in his honor.
instagram On November 30, 2013, Paul Walker died at the age of 40. The actor, known for his starring role in The Fast and the Furious movie series, was involved in a deadly motor vehicle accident in Santa Clarita, California. The driver of the car, Roger Rodas, also died in the accident when the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT both men were in hit a light pole and burst into flames.
At the time of the accident, Paul Walker was survived by his fifteen-year-old daughter, Meadow Rain Walker. Over five years after her father’s death, Paul Walker's daughter Meadow is working hard to keep his legacy alive.
Photo: Instagram
In 2015, Meadow founded the Paul Walker Foundation in her father’s memory. Meadow chose to launch the organization on September 12, 2015, which would have been her father’s 32nd birthday.
“Reflecting on my father, I found myself reflecting on his passions,” Meadow wrote on Instagram. “His passion for the ocean, his passion for rescuing animals, his passion for helping people and his passion for spontaneous goodwill.”
“I wanted to start this foundation because I want to share that piece of him with the world,” she continued. “I want to share that part of him with others.”
The organization strives to “serve as an enduring light of Paul's unique spirit, far-reaching goals, and spontaneous goodwill,” according to its website. Meadow has worked to advance and embody the organization’s mission statement, “DO GOOD,” through her work over the years.
Last September, Meadow launched the #PWFdogoodchallenge, encouraging others to “share a video or photo of your random act of kindness and nominate 4 people to join the challenge.”
She kicked off the challenge two days later by donating food to a local homeless shelter.
In the midst of this charitable work, Meadow has also been involved in a legal dispute in recent years. In 2015, she filed a lawsuit against Porsche in connection with her father’s death. Her attorneys alleged in the lawsuit that Walker actually survived the crash, but the car’s seatbelt “snapped Walker’s torso back with thousands of pounds of force, thereby breaking his ribs and pelvis,” preventing him from escaping. They also claimed that Porsche knew that the Carrera GT model had “a history of instability and control issues.”
“The bottom line is that the Porsche Carrera GT is a dangerous car,” Meadow’s attorney, Jeff Milam, told TMZ at the time. “It doesn’t belong on the street. And we shouldn’t be without Paul Walker or his friend, Roger Rodas.”
Two months after the lawsuit was filed, Porsche responded, saying that Paul Walker and Roger Rodas “knowingly and voluntarily assumed all risk, perils, and danger in respect to the use of the subject 2005 Carrera GT.”
The lawsuit between Meadow and Porsche was reportedly settled two years later in 2017 under confidential terms.
Though Meadow’s work has demonstrated her unwavering dedication to her father and his legacy, Paul worried as his daughter was growing up that his public persona could weaken their bond. Before his death, Paul Walker spoke openly about his strong connection with Meadow and how he felt his work as an actor may have come between them and how he planned to combat that.
“I think sometimes it may be overwhelming for her because of who her daddy is and what he does,” Paul told Cosmogirl Magazine in 2003, when his daughter was just a toddler. “I hope it never gets to a [bad] level, but there’s a chance it will, and I just know that the only way to offset that would be to make the outdoors a key part of her life.”
Cody Walker, Paul’s brother, elaborated on Paul’s feelings on these subjects in an interview with ABC News promoting the upcoming documentary, “I Am Paul Walker.”
“He loved her. He was so proud of her,” Cody told ABC News. “He also carried a lot of guilt for not being the traditional type of father that was necessarily there every step of the way.”
Even in his death, it appears Meadow and Paul remain close through her work with the Paul Walker Foundation, keeping his spirit alive.