Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson bonded with his late friend Paul Walker over the “pride and protection” they took in being fathers

Dwayne - who has daughter Simone, 18, with his ex-wife Dany Garcia, and daughters Jasmine, three, and Tiana, 17 months, with his wife Lauren Hashian - said he usually refrained from speaking about Paul on social media, but was inspired to mark his birthday after being reminded “how fragile life is” when another of his friends, Kevin Hart, was also involved in a car accident which left him needing surgery on three spinal fractures.

He wrote: “I never post about my friend.

“Personal thing, but I prefer to keep our memories and bond private and quiet. ?“But something about today compelled me as a moving reminder of how fragile life is for all of us.

“It’s Paul’s birthday and rightfully so, his legacy celebrated around the world.

“Our friendship was bonded over our daughters, Meadow & Simone and the pride and protection we took being their fathers.

“And recently, I got a scare when I almost lost another friend on the road.

“All this stuff got me thinking about how beautiful, yet wildly unpredictable life is.

“We never know what’s around the corner, so we gotta live as greatly as we can in the honor of our loved ones and ancestors who are no longer with us. (sic)”

And Dwayne wasn’t the only star to mark Paul’s birthday, as fellow ‘Fast and Furious’ actor Vin Diesel also posted a lengthy Instagram post in which he spoke directly to the late actor, and caught him up on everything that has been happening in the hit franchise.

He wrote: “Normally today I would be planning how to embarrass you with a birthday cake. Haha. 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. 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,” he ended the sweet message. (sic)”