Paul Walker Secretly Paid for a Couple’s Engagement Ring in 2004—Read the Inspiring Viral Story
The ‘Fast & Furious’ actor’s secret gift of an engagement ring is part of his enduring legacy
While it might seem like celebrities have all the wealth in the world, it’s refreshing to see instances in which they use that wealth for good, specifically, to help others. A viral story currently re-circulating on Reddit tells a story of just that, in which actor Paul Walker – known most for his role of Brian O’Conner in the Fast & Furious film series – helped out a couple on the hunt for an engagement ring.
Kyle Upham and his now-wife Kristen were browsing a Santa Barbara, California, jewelry store back in 2004 prior to Kyle’s deployment for a second tour of duty in Iraq when they noticed another patron shopping alongside them. While they didn’t pay much mind to him at first, they eventually struck up a conversation only to realize they were talking to Walker.
As they began talking, they introduced themselves to one another, discussing what they did for a living—“And when he found out Kyle just came back from Iraq,” recalled Kristen to CBS back in 2013, “I remember seeing the look in his face,” she said. “He kind of transformed.”
As Kyle and Kristen browsed, they were mindful of the expensive price tags on the engagement rings, and the couple eventually departed the shop empty handed.
Shortly after their shopping trip however, they received a call urging them to come back. When they returned, the store clerk handed them a bag containing the $9,000 engagement ring they had been looking at but couldn’t afford, refusing to reveal who was behind the grand gesture. The couple had their suspicions over the years, but it wasn’t until the actor’s tragic death in 2013 that it was confirmed, when Irene King – a clerk at the store – came forward with the story.
“He called the manager and he said, ‘Umm, the ring that those people are looking at—put it on my tab,'” she revealed to CBS. “Soon after that, he just left.” This generous act from Walker left a lasting impact on the Uphams that they will never forget, with Kristen saying it’s the “most generous thing” someone has done for her, expressing, “He really did put his money where his mouth is and did good for this world.”
How did Paul Walker die?
At only 40 years old, Walker was in the passenger seat of a Porsche Carrera GT driven by his friend when they crashed into a light pole and tree before the vehicle burst into flames, ultimately taking the young actor’s life.Despite more than a decade passing since his tragic death, his friends, family and Fast & Furious co-stars have not forgotten what he left behind, carrying his legacy on with each year that passes.
Vin Diesel, the lead actor in the Fast & Furious franchise, recently paid tribute to Walker on what would have been his 51st birthday.
“Traveling to the corners of the world…there’s always someone there to remind me of the impact we’ve had on their lives,” he wrote in a post shared to his Instagram, referencing their Fast & Furious legacy. “Either showing their cars with pride, haha…or simply saying, they feel like they were raised by us. That beautiful brotherhood, a quarter century old. A brotherhood, timeless and bound by love. For that I am eternally grateful… but d – -, I miss you Pablo. Happy birthday,” he wrote.
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