Fast & Furious 7 crew praise Vin Diesel after wrapping production

Fast & Furious 7 crewmembers have praised franchise star Vin Diesel for helping to guide them to the movie's completion following the death of actor Paul Walker last year (13).

The movie wrapped production on Thursday (10Jul14) and moderators for the film's official Facebook.com page have shared a message with fans, thanking them for their support and also applauding the Riddick star for being a strong leader while dealing with the tragic loss of his co-star.

They write, "We made it. Today we completed the last shot in the production of FAST & FURIOUS 7. We wanted to take this moment to express how thankful we are for your support. We felt the love and strength from our fans throughout this journey, and it's because of you that we got here. There was a time when we didn't know how we could go on, or even if we should. But we listened to you, and you inspired us not only to keep going but to try and make the best FAST & FURIOUS movie yet. Our FAST family has been together for almost fifteen years now and has grown a lot in that time.

"From the start, Vin has been our leader who feels what's right for FAST in his gut and in his heart. When we had to stop production last year, Vin gathered us back together and moved us forward when we needed it most. He led us to this day... Our family is big and strong but it won't ever quite be whole again without Paul. All of us - those who've been here from the start and those whose first FAST film is 7 - wanted to create a special film for him and for you. We believe we have. Thank you for being there for us. You are the biggest part of our family, and we couldn't have gotten here without you. The countdown to April 3 begins..."

The film was originally slated to be released this month (Jul14), but production was halted following the death of Walker last year (13). Fast & Furious 7 will now hit theaters next April (15).