Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela passes on @ age 95

Late Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela dies

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the father of the nation, has died on December 5 2013 at the age of 95.

President Jacob Zuma made the announcement from the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday night. He said Mandela passed away at 8.50pm at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg, surrounded by his wife, Graça Machel and members of his family.

Zuma said Mandela would have a state funeral and that flags would fly half-mast from December 6 until after the funeral.

Zuma called on South Africans to “recall the values for which Madiba fought”.

Long illness
Mandela was hospitalised on June 8 with a recurring lung infection. Initial reports from the Presidency suggested Mandela was stable, although his condition was serious. But on June 23, the Presidency announced that Mandela’s condition had deteriorated and he was critical.

Court affidavits soon confirmed that the former statesman was on an assisted- breathing, life support machine. More reports emerged about Mandela in the days that followed — that he was in a ” permanent vegetative state” — although the presidency denied these, maintaining that he was “critical yet stable”.

On his 95th birthday, July 18, Zuma announced an improvement in Mandela’s health. Mandela was discharged from hospital in September and transported to his home in Houghton. In November, his family said he remained “quite ill”, but his pneumonia had cleared up. Zuma visited Mandela on November 18 and said he was still in a critical condition, but that he continued to respond to treatment.

On December 3, his daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, said the former president was “strong” and “courageous”, although he was “on his death bed”. Mandela’s grandson, Ndaba Mandela, said his grandfather was “not doing well”, although, “he is still with us”.

His declining health has been the subject of speculation over the past few years. He was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 2001 but made a full recovery. In 2011, he was admitted to hospital following a severe respiratory infection and a year later underwent a scheduled surgery for a longstanding abdominal complaint.

Mandela was plagued by recurring lung ailments in recent years. He spent 18 days in hospital at the end of 2012 and, despite receiving home-based high care thereafter, was back in hospital in March and April 2013.

There were renewed fears for his health when he returned to hospital in June. Despite assurances from the presidency that he was in a “serious but stable” condition, South Africans began preparing themselves for the worst as Mandela’s family members flocked to Johannesburg, struggle stalwarts paid visits to the icon, and the world’s media gathered in Qunu, Houghton and at the Pretoria hospital where he was treated.

The much-loved Mandela, known affectionately as Tata Madiba, became increasingly frail and retired from public life in 2004 at the age of 85.

Mandela’s last public appearance was a brief one, at the end of the Soccer World Cup in 2010. Since then, he has split his time between his home in Houghton and his ancestral home in Qunu in the Eastern Cape.

Mandela became the symbol of the struggle against apartheid after he was convicted in the Rivonia Trial of charges of sabotage and was sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island.

At the end of his trial, Mandela gave a now iconic speech in which he said: “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is
an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Mandela, a key figure in the African National Congress, who helped found the party’s youth league and armed wing, Umkhonto weSizwe, was imprisoned for 27 years before he was finally released in 1990 at the age of 71.

Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, together with former president FW De Klerk, for the “peaceful termination of the apartheid regime and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa”. A year later, he was elected president in the country’s first democratic election.

He stepped down from the presidency in 1999 after one term in office but continued with a busy public schedule. He brokered negotiations for peace in Rwanda, established the Mandela-Rhodes Foundation for educational scholarship, and launched the 46664 Aids fundraising foundation.

RIP Mandela

Actor Walker died from multiple injuries in crash, ‘Fast 7’ filming halted

“Fast & Furious” actor Paul Walker died from multiple injuries in a weekend car crash, the Los Angeles County coroner said on Wednesday, as Universal Pictures suspended production of the seventh installment in its lucrative car racing film franchise.

Late Paul Walker

Walker, 40, was a passenger in a fiery one-car crash on Saturday in Santa Clarita, California, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles, that also killed 38-year-old driver Roger Rodas.

The coroner said Walker’s death resulted from “traumatic and thermal injuries.” While the coroner did not elaborate, thermal injuries are heat-related and are commonly burns.

Universal, owned by Comcast Corp, said filming of the big-budget action movie has been put on hold for an unspecified amount of time as it decides how to continue production without Walker.

“At this time we feel it is our responsibility to shut down production on ‘Fast & Furious 7’ for a period of time so we can assess all options available to move forward with the franchise,” Universal Pictures said in a statement.

The film, which began production in September, is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on July 11, 2014.

Rodas, the owner of a local auto dealership and racing services company Always Evolving and who was behind the wheel of the Porsche Carrera GT at the time of the crash, died of multiple traumatic injuries, the coroner said.

The coroner ruled that both deaths were accidents and said that the injuries occurred when the car struck a fixed object.

Both Walker and Rodas died “within seconds” after impact, coroner spokesman Ed Winter told the Los Angeles Times. Winter was unavailable for comment.

Surveillance video shows the red Porsche crashing into a utility pole and bursting into flames about a minute later, according to footage shown on CNN.

‘FAST’ HELPED UNIVERSAL TURNAROUND

The Vin Diesel-led “Fast & Furious” movies, which have grossed more than $2 billion at the global box office, are one of two major franchises, along with the animated “Despicable Me” films, that helped turn around Universal Pictures in recent years.

Universal may be able to rework “Fast 7” in time to keep to the July release date, a prime slot in the summer movie-going period when audiences flock to big-budget action films, said Matthew Harrigan, an industry analyst who follows Universal parent company Comcast for Wunderlich Securities.

If the studio decides to make major changes that prevent a July opening, the film could get pushed to the summer of 2015, Harrigan said.

“This is something that is an incredibly important franchise for Universal,” he said. “They just need to figure out how to rework it and how to address his death in an appropriate manner.”

The autopsies of Walker and Rodas were delayed as the coroner’s office needed dental records to identify the bodies. Toxicology reports on the bodies will be completed in six to eight weeks, the coroner’s office said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said on Sunday that speed played a role in the crash but has ruled out the possibility that the pair were street racing. Its investigation into the crash is expected to be completed in the coming days.

Walker became a symbol of street-racing and car culture in his role as law enforcement officer Brian O’Conner in the “Fast & Furious” series.

The actor, who played supporting roles in 1998’s “Pleasantville” and 1999’s “Varsity Blues,” was in five of the six “Fast & Furious” films about illegal street racing, heists and organised crime.

Walker also starred in the Hurricane Katrina survival drama “Hours,” which will be released on December 13, and the crime drama “Brick Mansions,” which is in post-production and will be released next year.

Autopsy results for “Fast & Furious” actor ,Paul Walker, may be released later today

Late Paul Walker RIP

Autopsy results for “Fast & Furious” actor Paul Walker could be released as early as Tuesday (today, 3rd of December) as medical examiners wait on dental records to identify the actor’s body.

Walker, 40, who became a symbol of street-racing and car culture in his roles in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, was a passenger in a fiery one-car crash on Saturday in Santa Clarita, California, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

“We’re waiting for dental records,” Los Angeles County Coroner spokesman Edward Winter said. “The bodies are unidentifiable.”

Media reports identified the driver of the red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that crashed into a utility pole and burst into flames as Roger Rodas, 38, a friend of Walker’s who owned Always Evolving, an auto dealership and racing services company in Santa Clarita.

“Evidently both individuals were seen getting into the vehicle minutes before the crash,” Winter said.

Walker and Rodas were both drivers for the Always Evolving racing team.

Neither the coroner’s office nor Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department would confirm if Rodas was the driver of the car. Rodas also served as a financial adviser to Walker, the actor’s spokeswoman, Ame Van Iden, said.

Sheriff Deputy Aura Sierra said the investigation into the crash, in which the department earlier said that speed played a role, should take two more days.

Always Evolving, which could not be reached by phone, posted a Twitter message thanking supporters while they “mourn the loss of our loved ones.”

Walker, who played supporting roles in 1998’s “Pleasantville” and 1999’s “Varsity Blues,” was in five of the six “Fast & Furious” films about illegal street racing, heists and organized crime, portraying law enforcement officer Brian O’Conner.

Production of “Fast & Furious 7,” which began filming in September, has been delayed but will not be scrapped, industry trade publication the Hollywood Reporter said, citing sources.

The publication reported that Comcast Corp-owned Universal Pictures, the big-budget film’s studio, and “Fast 7” director James Wan spoke on Sunday about how to continue with the film following Walker’s death.

A representative for Universal was not immediately available to comment on the status of the film, which is to be released on July 11.

The “Fast & Furious” franchise, which stars Vin Diesel, has grossed more than $2 billion at the global box office since its first film was released in 2001.

Walker stars in the Hurricane Katrina survival drama “Hours,” which will be released on December 13, and also the crime drama “Brick Mansions,” which is in post-production and will be released next year…. (Los Angeles Reuters)

Click here for autopsy result

Fast and Furious star, Paul Walker (Brian O’Connor), dies in auto crash @40

The actor, Paul Walker, who found success starring in the popular car-racing franchise, has died in an automobile accident in Los Angeles aged 40

Paul walker in “vehicle 19”. Another upcoming film to feature the late star.

Paul Walker, the much-loved star who for 12 years headlined the Fast and Furious franchise, has died in a car crash aged 40.

The actor was travelling as a passenger in a new Porsche when his friend who was driving – who has been described as an “experienced driver” – lost control of the vehicle and collided with a street light, and then a tree.

The autopsy report to finally confirm his death is said to most likely be released on Tuesday 3rd of December.

The LA County Sheriff’s department has confirmed that two people died in a collision in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles, at 3:30pm on Saturday, but Walker’s death was confirmed by his representatives on his official Facebook page, and then by his publicist, Ame Van Iden.

“It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organisation Reach Out Worldwide,” reads the Facebook update.

“He was a passenger in a friend’s car, in which both lost their lives. We appreciate your patience as we too are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news. Thank you for keeping his family and friends in your prayers during this very difficult time. We will do our best to keep you apprised on where to send condolences. – #TeamPW.”

The Reach Out Worldwide event was a car show aimed at generating aid for the Philippines typhoon relief effort. It appears Walker, who was an investor in a nearby automobile shop called Always Evolving, took the Porsche GT, which was on show at Reach Out Worldwide, for a drive.

Photos released from the crash scene show both street light and tree collapsed, alongside a completely wrecked vehicle, which was evidently engulfed in flames following the accident. Antonio Holmes, a friend of Walker and of the driver, who he called “Roger”, was nearby and ran to the crash site in a futile attempt to try and extinquish the blaze.

“We all ran around and jumped in cars and grabbed fire extinguishers and immediately went to the vehicle. It was engulfed in flames. There was nothing. They were trapped. Employees, friends of the shop. We tried. We tried. We went through fire extinguishers,” he told the Santa Clarita
Signal.

“Him and his buddy, his brother in arms at heart just decided to joyride, take a spin. Something we all do. We’re all car enthusiasts … We’re all here driving, enjoying each other, and God must’ve needed help.”

Universal Pictures, the studio behind the Fast and Furious franchise, released a statement on Saturday evening. “All of us at Universal are heartbroken,” it read. “Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the Fast and Furious films, and to countless fans.”

The sentiment was echoed by Walker’s Fast and Furious co-star Vin Diesel, who posted a photo of the pair on his Instagram account with the caption: “Brother I will miss you very much. I am absolutely speechless. Heaven has gained a new Angel. Rest in Peace.”

Other colleagues took to Twitter to express their grief. “All my strength, love & faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time. We find our strength.. in his light. Love you brother,” wrote Dwayne Johnson on his @TheRock account. Johnson had joined the cast of Fast and Furious for its two most recent instalments, and was due to return for the seventh, which had just begun filming.

Tyrese Gibson, who co-starred in the films, posted: “My heart is hurting so bad. No one can make me believe this is real.” Director Roland Emmerich wrote that he was “extremely saddened”, while James Wan posted “I am so beyond heartbroken right now. I can’t process anything.”

Wan was working with Walker on Fast and Furious 7; the actor had already completed work on what looks likely to be his final films, a Hurricane Katrina drama called Hours, and a thriller called Brick Mansions. In the latter he plays an undercover cop, just as in the initial The Fast and the Furious his character, Brian O’Connor, was part of an undercover LAPD operation to infiltrate a street racing circuit. The film ended with O’Connor transferring his loyalties to the apparent criminals.

The son of a model and a sewer contractor, he grew up in Los Angeles, in a working class Mormon household. Child modelling assignments helped keep the family afloat financially (he was the eldest of five) and Launched a career that started on TV then moved to the big screen with 1998 comedy Meet the Deedles, then supporting roles in Pleasantville, Varsity Blues and She’s All That.

It was his turn in 2000 thriller The Skulls which brought him to the attention of the Fast and Furious producer. Notable other roles included the lead in genial huskies drama Eight Below, and a part in Clint Eastwood’s Iwo Jima epic The Flags of our Fathers. The day before his death, he posted an update to Twitter expressing his excitement about the upcoming seventh instalment: “The boys are back. Will you be ready? – #TeamPW #FastFridays”

RIP Paul Walker, you will surely be missed.

The actor is survived by 15 year old daughter, Meadow.

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