"This wasn't supposed to happen," Josiah Fellows writes in a gut-wrenching open letter to his late father.
Ryan Fellows' son is paying tribute in the wake of his father's untimely death. In an open letter published to Instagram this week, Josiah Fellows mourned his loss and reflected on what his own life looks like as he goes on without him.
The racer and Street Outlaws star died tragically in a car accident on Sunday while filming for an upcoming episode in Las Vegas. He was 41.
"No words can express the way I'm feeling right now. It doesn't feel real, it still feels like you are going to come home in a couple of hours and will talk to us about how you raced and if you won or not," Josiah wrote in a caption that accompanied a carousel of images with his father.
"This wasn't supposed to happen. You were supposed to see my last high school basketball season, you were supposed to watch me graduate, watch me get married, be there for me when I father my first kid and more!" the teen continued. "I never even had the chance to say bye to you before you left. I don't even know how I'm supposed to go on from this, how I will move on knowing you aren't going to be with me and support me in everything I do. You gave me so much in life dad and gave so much to this family too. Now it looks like I will become the man of the house from now on. I hope one day you will see me and be proud of the man I will become, because that is all I ever strived to do in life. I love you dad! I'll see you again one day."
According to a report from TMZ, Fellows' Nissan 240z lost control near the finish line of a race on Sunday morning, rolling over and catching fire. Bystanders were not able to rescue him in time.
A representative for the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration tells ET that they have opened an investigation into the accident. "No details concerning the investigation can be released until the case has been formally closed, pursuant to confidentiality provisions in state law. Fatality investigations can take up to six months, so this information is unlikely to be available until early 2023," a rep said.
In addition to son Josiah, Ryan is survived by his wife, Liz, and daughter, Olivia. A Go-Fund-Me created for his family reads: "Ryan was an avid car enthusiast and was a road ‘warrior’ in many ways that extended to loves of basketball, cars and business in sales/advertising. He was admired for tenacity and a relentless drive to overcome the challenges before him." The page also includes a photo of Fellows with his family.
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