Police say speed was a factor in the fiery car crash that killed Hollywood star Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas, who was believed to have been behind the wheel.  The death puts into doubt the future of the highly popular “Fast & Furious” film franchise in which Walker features.

On Saturday afternoon, Paul Walker appeared at a charity event to raise money for victims of the Philippine typhoon, taking place in an office park north of Los Angeles, and organized by Walker's Reach Out Worldwide, a charity he founded in 2010 to aid victims of natural disasters.  Afterward, he and Rodas drove away in a red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, which for some reason flew out of control and hit a tree and a light pole, tearing the car into pieces.  If the force of the impact didn’t immediately kill the two men, it was followed by an explosion and intense fire no one could have survived (Warning: video might be upsetting to younger or more sensitive viewers).

This happened only a short distance from Walker’s charity event and Rodas’ business.  Various unconfirmed reports claim that Walker’s 15-year old daughter and Rodas’ 8-year old son saw the vehicle ablaze.  People tried to douse the flames with fire extinguishers, to no avail. 

Investigators are working to determine how fast the car was traveling and what caused it to go out of control, including whether the driver was distracted or something in the road prompted him to swerve.

News of Walker’s death stunned Hollywood and devastated Walker’s “Fast & Furious” costars who were in the middle of filming the next installment of the multi-million dollar franchise.  Walker’s scenes were to be filmed this week. 

Jordana Brewster, who plays “Mia Toretto”, girlfriend to Walker’s “Brian O’Connor” tweeted:  “Paul was pure light. I cannot believe he is gone.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who plays the government agent “Luke Hobbs” in the films also took to Twitter:  “All my strength, love & faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time. We find our strength in his light. Love you brother.”

Rapper and actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (“Tej”) wrote on his Instagram account:  “Your humble spirit was felt from the start, wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark, we were like brothers & our birthdays are only 1 day apart, now You will forever hold a place in all of our hearts @paulwalker legacy will live on forever. R.I.P.”

Tyrese Gibson (“Roman Pearce”) is particularly distraught, making a visit to the crash scene where fans were gathering.  He earlier made several entrees on his Instagram, including: “At least I got to say I love you”; And, “My heart is hurting so bad no one can make me believe this is real”.  In an ironic twist, the upcoming Blu-Ray release of “Fast & Furious 6” will include a completed scene from #7, showing the cast at the funeral for the character Sung Kang’s “Han Seoul-Oh”, and a grieving Roman telling Brian that he “can’t take any more funerals.”

Vin Diesel is said to be inconsolable.  On his Instagram, the actor and executive producer of “Fast & Furious” said:  “Brother I will miss you very much. I am absolutely speechless. Heaven has gained a new Angel. Rest in Peace.”

On Monday, discussions will begin on what to do with “Fast & Furious 7”, which had been in production in Atlanta with Aussie director James Wan at the helm.  Walker and Wan had become fast friends over the past few weeks, with the actor praising Wan’s work.  Wan tweeted:  “I am so beyond heartbroken right now. I can't process anything.”  Other reports said "no one is thinking about the film", and it seems unlikely any of the cast or crew would be in any condition or mood to continue the project under this shadow.  The fact is that Paul Walker is one of those Hollywood actors you never heard anything bad about.  He was well-liked by everyone he worked with.  Paramount will want to save the lucrative series, but how that could happen is a mystery, especially considering how the entire story arc revolves around the journey of Paul Walker's "Brian" through the world of Vin Diesel's "Dominic Toretto".  It was Brian O'Connor who took us on a tour of street racing and heists.  And now he's been taken from movie goers.

Funeral arrangements are pending.