Walmart is apologizing after the company came under fire on Thursday when its Twitter account seemingly made a joke about the late actorPaul Walker, who died in a car crash in 2013.
“We apologize to Paul Walker’s family, friends and fans,” a spokesperson for Walmart said in a statement to PEOPLE. “The tweet was posted in poor judgement and has been removed.”
The tweet was posted in response to another user who hadshared a GIFof a car racing through traffic, which was itself a response to another tweet about Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls sold at Walmart.
The tweet quickly drew backlash online, as several users found the remark insensitive in light of the way theFast and the Furiousstar died.
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The line is a quote from the Comedy Central seriesWorkaholics, but as one Twitter userpointed out, “it has not aged well.”
Walker’s tragic death came just a few weeks after his daughter Meadow turned 15.
Meadow, now a model in New York City, shared atribute to her late fatheron what would have been the actor’s 46th birthday in September.
“happy birthday to the loveliest soul I’ll ever know,” she wrote alongside ablack-and-white shotof the father-daughter pair smiling up at the camera.
Several of Walker’s fellowFast and the Furiouscast matesalso shared tributesto their fallen friend.
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“Normally today I would be planning how to embarrass you with a birthday cake. Haha,”Vin Dieselwrote on Instagram. “Instead I reflect on how lucky I am to call you my brother. The tears never go away, but they change… from that of mourning to that of grace. We only hope to make you proud.”
“Speaking of which, guess what message I woke up to… your daughter,” Diesel, 52, continued. “Meadow sending me love on this day. Wow, she knows me so well. She has your heart. Happy birthday… it’s amazing, but somehow you continue to make the world a better place.”
“I think so many people think, ‘Oh, he was just a movie star who was killed in a car accident.’ But there was so much more to him,” Walker’s mother, Cheryl, previously told PEOPLE. “That was just a piece of who he was. He was an amazing man.”
source: people.com
