The unusual public memorial took the form of a car rally,
with drivers filing slowly past the spot in Santa Clarita, where
Walker, 40, and Roger Rodas, 38, died on November 30.
Rodas, the owner of a local auto dealership and racing services
company, was behind the wheel of a Porsche Carrera GT with
Walker in the passenger seat when it crashed into a utility pole
and burst into flames.
Walker had been in Santa Clarita, about 25 miles north of Los
Angeles, for a charity event.
The memorial, which was organized via social media, was
scheduled for noon but Captain Mike Parker of the Los Angeles
County Sheriff's Department said that mourners began arriving as
early as 6 a.m. to pay their respects.
Parker said that more than 1,000 cars drove past the site of the
wreck, now marked by flowers and cards, and estimated that a
total of 5,000 people took part in the event. He said some
mourners had come from as far away as Texas, Arizona and Nevada,
driving in caravans.
Walker became a symbol of street-racing and car culture in his
role as law enforcement officer Brian O'Conner in the "Fast and
Furious" series.
The actor, who played supporting roles in 1998's "Pleasantville"
and 1999's "Varsity Blues," was in five of the six "Fast and
Furious" films about illegal street racing, heists and organized
crime.
Walker also starred in the Hurricane Katrina survival drama
"Hours," which will be released on Dec. 13, and the crime
drama "Brick Mansions," which is in post-production and will be
released next year. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb;
editing by Paul Simao)
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