Heartbreaking: Paul Walker Anonymously Purchased A Couple’s Engagement Rings
Paul Walker was an actor clearly loved; when his “Fast and Furious” co-stars found out of his passing over the weekend, several of them broke down very publicly in sobs. And now we’re getting a bit more of a glimpse into just what made the guy so great. A Los Angeles jeweler just revealed that Walker anonymously paid for one of her customers’ engagement rings.
It happened in 2004 when Walker was browsing in a Santa Barbara, Calif., jewelry store. Kyle Upham was in there with his fiancé Kristen, and they were looking for engagement rings. Kristen saw something she really liked, but the ring was $9,000, and way out of the couple’s more modest price range. Irene King, who was working at the jewelry store at the time, recalled Upham telling his girlfriend, “honey, I can’t afford that.”
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Upham said he barely remembered Walker being in the store with them. They exchanged pleasantries and Upham mentioned that he’d been in Iraq. Kyle was about to be deployed a second time, and the couple was trying to plan their wedding in between tours. “I remember seeing the look on [Walker’s] face. He kind of transformed,” Kristen told KCAL.
The Uphams left without buying a ring, but then were shocked to get a call from the store hours later saying the ring was ready for them. The jewelry store workers wouldn’t tell them who’d paid for it, and they initially suspected the store’s employees had pooled their resources.
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But actually, without the couple knowing, Walker had gone up to the manager Irene King and told her to “put it on my tab.” He didn’t want to be acknowledged for the kind deed, said King, but now that he’s passed away, she wanted to recognize his kindness.
“When we hand down the ring through the generations, there will always be a story to tell,” Kyle said.
“His real life speaks volumes of his character,” Kristen said. “He really did put his money where his mouth is and did good for this world.”
