Meadow Walker was barely a teen when she lost her beloved dad, actor Paul Walker, in a tragic car accident on Nov. 30, 2013. But she’s remained so close to his good pal and The Fast and the Furious co-star Vin Diesel, 52. Not only is he her godfather, Vin’s kids are like siblings to Meadow. The 21-year-old shared a selfie to her Instagram on June 29 with Vin’s daughters Similce, 12, and Pauline, 5, along with Vin’s son Vincent, 10. Pauline was named in honor of Meadow’s dad, as she was born in March 2015, 16 months after Paul’s tragic death at just 40-years-old.
Meadow looked radiant, with a big, closed-mouth smile that showed off the dimples in her cheeks. She could be seen dressed casually in a maroon hoodie sweatshirt that had the word “Boston” across the front in white lettering. Meadow’s newly dyed darker brunette locks were on display, as she pulled her long hair back and away from her face. Her hazel-blue eyes radiated happiness in the photo.
Meadow captioned the photo, “family, forever,” which would have made her dad so proud. “Family” is a running theme throughout the Fast and the Furious franchise, and especially between Vin’s Dominic Toretto and Paul’s Brian O’Conner characters. Ever since the first F&F movie in 2001, Vin and Paul were like brothers in real life. Vin even calls himself Meadow’s “Uncle.”
When Meadow turned 21 in Nov. 2019, Vin had the sweetest message for her. He shared an IG photo of her next to Pauline and wrote, “I could say that I am so proud of the person you are becoming…but the truth is I have always been proud of you. Happy Birthday Meadow! I know it’s your 21st and you wanted to go big in Japan, but the family has a cake waiting for you when you get home, so hurry. Love you kid. Uncle Vin.”
Meadow had just turned 15-years-old on Nov. 4, 2013 when she lost her dad three weeks later. He was hosting a fundraiser for his charity Reach Out Worldwide to aid victims of a hurricane in the Philippines at a high-performance vehicle shop in Santa Clarita, CA. He went for a ride with his close pal, former Pro-Am race driver Roger Rodas, with Roger behind the wheel of his 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. The vehicle crashed at a high rate of speed into a concrete post and two trees not far from the auto shop, killing both Paul and Roger. He was finishing filming Furious 7 at the time, which would be his last appearance in the franchise.