RIP

Paul Walker's family is making plans for a proper funeral ... touring the grounds of a famous L.A. cemetery looking for a suitable burial plot.

Walker was killed 11 days ago when a Porsche Carrera GT driven by buddy Roger Rodas slammed into a pole and exploded in flames.

Walker's dad, Paul Sr., and other family members went to Forest Lawn Cemetery today to finalize plans and choose a final resting place.

We're told the Walkers are planning a small funeral -- mostly family -- but it will also include cast and crew from the "Fast & Furious" movies.

No word on when the funeral will be held.

Paul Walker died after the speeding Porsche in which he was riding hydroplaned on reflective plastic markers in the street ... at least that's what his family and accident reconstruction experts believe.

Sources close to Paul's family tell TMZ ... the family has been in touch with stunt experts who have gone to the crash site and come back with what they believe is a solid theory -- a speeding car that hits the plastic markers -- called Botts' Dots -- will hydroplane, causing the driver to lose control.

We've learned the experts have told the family ... a car going speeds approaching 90 MPH will lose traction after hitting a series of Botts' Dots. It's akin to driving on ice -- and control is further compromised by the fact that the Porsche was outfitted with special racing tires that have very little tread.

And there's this ... Porsche sent out a memo to dealers back in 2004, warning about control problems with the Carrera GT, saying, "This vehicle cannot drive over a Foster Beer can that is lying on its side. It will crush the can and damage the carbon fiber under panels," adding, "You need to be aware of what type of road surface you are on (dips, pot holes, seam heights, etc.)."

Law enforcement sources say they have not concluded the exact cause of the accident, but it appears they're looking at the Botts' Dots ... as a viable theory for triggering the fatal crash.

Paul Walker's funeral will be private ... for family only, and in Paul's world his movie's cast and crew is part of the brood.

Sources connected with Paul's family tell TMZ ... their biggest concern is Paul's 15-year-old daughter Meadow, who is understandably having a difficult time. They don't want a bunch of strangers surrounding the girl, because she needs to feel comfortable to grieve.

So the funeral will be by invitation only, and Paul felt the folks on the "Fast & Furious" cast and crew were close relatives. He was with them a lot and bonded with most of them.

The family is also aware ... the cast and crew are grieving just like them, and the funeral will help them cope.

It's unclear when the funeral will take place. Family sources tell TMZ ... sometime after the funeral there will be a larger memorial, but still by invitation only.

Paul Walker was in a great mood just moments before his fatal Porsche accident -- laughing and smiling in the passenger seat of the car that killed him.

The photos were shot as Paul and driver Roger Rodas were leaving the Santa Clarita charity car show that Walker had organized.

It's a jarring look into the final moments of the actor's life -- especially the juxtaposition of the gleaming red sports car ... and the fiery wreck it became just minutes later.

Paul Walker's remains were finally removed from the L.A. County Coroner's Office yesterday ... and transported to a local mortuary, TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us ... Paul's remains are now in the hands of Paul's family -- which will decide how and when the actor will be laid to rest.

Paul died on November 30 after the Porsche Carrera GT he was riding in crashed into a tree and a pole in Santa Clarita, CA and exploded into flames.

Paul was 40.

Jay Z performed a show-stopping tribute to Nelson Mandela in L.A. -- and if it sounds familiar ... that's because he laid down the same exact tribute to Trayvon Martin months ago.

During the intro to his hit, "Young Forever" ... Jay told the Staples Center crowd last night, "We wanna dedicate this song to Nelson Mandela."

Paul Walker knew damn well how dangerous it is to race high-performance cars on the road ... because he was about to join the fight to stop illegal street racing ... this according to Hulk Hogan's ex-wife.

Linda Hogan was in Thousand Oaks, CA last week when she told us Paul and her son, Nick Hogan, bonded over their love of race cars ... and says they had big plans.

After Nick's infamous street racing accident in 2007, he started a charity called "Keep it On the Track" -- and Linda says Paul was going to team up with Nick to spread the word about keeping high-performance race cars ON designated race tracks, and OFF streets.

The law has come down hard on the guys who allegedly pillaged the Paul Walker crash scene ... they've been charged with 3 crimes.

18-year-old Jameson Witty was caught on video stealing the T-top roof of the Porsche right off the tow truck ... and, as if that wasn't enough of a smoking gun ... he then bragged about the heist by posting pics of the stolen wreckage on Instagram.

The L.A. County District Attorney has just charged Witty and his alleged accomplice, Anthony Janow, with felony grand theft, along with 2 misdemeanors -- destroying evidence and resisting, obstructing and delaying a peace officer.

If convicted, the 2 men face up to 4 years and 6 months behind bars.

The former COO of Napster was killed Sunday during a bike ride in L.A. when he was struck by a Sheriff's patrol car on Mulholland Highway.

65-year-old Milton Olin Jr. -- who worked at the famous music-sharing site from 2000 to 2002 -- was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash occurred around 1pm and witnesses say Olin was in the bike lane when he was struck.

As for the Sheriff's deputy -- he was hospitalized for cuts to his face and eye stemming from shattered glass from the windshield of the patrol car.

Cops are investigating -- and so far, officials say neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be involved.

Some deranged creep tried to make a quick buck off Paul Walker's death by selling pieces of burned bark he claims he took from the tree Paul crashed into ... TMZ has learned.

The seller says he took 6 pieces of charred tree (pictured below) from the crash site and put them on eBay -- asking for at least $100 per item.

But we've learned ... the seller had a change of heart (which might have had something to do with the hate mail he got) and he decided to to pull the auction for good.

The Porsche GT that Paul Walker was in when he died was just too fast for music producer Mally Mall ... who tells TMZ he had to dump the car because he didn't feel safe behind the wheel.

Mally -- who's worked with Chris Brown, Drake, Tyga and others -- told us he had the GT a few years ago, but sold it because he couldn't control it 100% of the time.

In fact, Mally Mall says the car would sometimes fishtail at high speeds (he once got it to 140 MPh) ... and it scared the crap out of him.

Paul Walker's fans RECORDED FOOTAGE of the scumbags who stole pieces of the wrecked Porsche GT the actor died in ... and the video, obtained by TMZ, could help prosecutors put the bad guys behind bars.

The video -- shot by fans who were at the scene to pay tribute to the actor -- captured the moments when two men ran over to the Porsche, which was on a tow truck, and ripped off pieces of the roof.

The crooks then sprinted away from the car ... as the fans screamed at them to stop and honked their car horn to alert other people about the crime.

We broke the story ... cops were called and quickly arrested one of the suspects. The other man fled the state, but cops say they know who he is and expect the guy to turn himself in soon.

Four years before he died, Paul Walker sat down in an interview and said his ultimate "dream car" was the Porsche Carrera GT ... the very car he died in ... and the interview was captured on video.

Paul was promoting "Fast & Furious" during the 2009 interview ... and raved about the GT -- saying, "That's the top car."

First responders to the Paul Walker crash declared the actor dead almost immediately after arriving on the scene ... and TMZ has obtained audio of the call to dispatch.

According to the recording ... the first firefighters arrived less than 3 minutes after a 911 call alerted them to the crash -- and one of their first communications from the scene is "two fatalities" ... and "DOA."

The man on-scene also informs dispatch it's a "Code N" incident ... which means it's a newsworthy event that should be handled with care.

As we previously reported ... several of Paul's friends were on-scene and most likely told firefighters the actor was in the vehicle.

Listen to the audio ... it's clear firefighters had no doubt Paul and Roger Rodas died instantly.

Paul Walker will be remembered by thousands of auto enthusiasts this weekend with a huge, noisy car rally ... but TMZ has learned law enforcement will be out in force ... gunning for any reckless drivers.

The car meet is scheduled to begin at noon on Hercules Street ... near the spot where Walker and Roger Rodas died in the fiery crash of their Porsche Carrera GT last weekend.

More than 20,000 people are expected to show up -- that's a lot of vehicles. City officials are urging locals to avoid the area altogether.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they'll be ready for trouble, too ... with a highly visible police presence to make sure the event goes off safely.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela -- famous for his fight to end the racist policy of apartheid -- died today at the age of 95.

Mandela's health had been in steep decline over the past few months -- he was hospitalized on June 8 for kidney and liver problems and had been on life support. Doctors also said he had a recurring lung infection.

The President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, had said Mandela was "well looked after" and "comfortable" during his final days.

Mandela became an international figure during his 27 years in prison for conspiring to overthrow South Africa's government. He was released in 1990, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in '93.

In 1994 Mandela helped orchestrate South Africa's first multi-racial election -- and became the country's first Black president.

Over the years, Mandela's been portrayed by several major actors including Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover and Idris Elba.

He also made a cameo as a teacher in Spike Lee's 1992 flick "Malcolm X."

R.I.P.