Walmart says sorry for 'poorly judged' Paul Walker tweet

Walmart has said sorry after a joke about the late Fast & Furious star Paul Walker appeared from its official Twitter feed.

The supermarket giant was replying to a tweet from another user following news that it is starting to sell Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls with pink ‘strawberry and cream’ icing.

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The user had posted a gif of a car speeding dangerously through traffic, captioned '*me racin to the nearest Wally World*', a nickname for Walmart in the US.

The official Walmart account then replied to the gif tweet, now deleted, saying 'Hey, Paul Walker. Click it, or ticket'.

Walker died in a high speed car accident in Valencia, California, during a break in the filming of Fast & Furious 7 in 2013.

The phrase 'click it or ticket' came from a US campaign to encourage seat belt use launched in 2002, while the 'Hey Paul Walker' part was a line from the sitcom Workaholics.

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Following complaints that Walmart's response was in bad taste, it issued a statement to People magazine apologising.

“We apologize to Paul Walker’s family, friends and fans,” a spokesperson for Walmart said. “The tweet was posted in poor judgement and has been removed.”

Walker died when a high-powered Porsche Carrera GT, being driven by his friend Roger Rodas, crashed into a concrete lamppost and caught fire, with both men trapped inside.

Rodas was thought to have been travelling at between 80 and 93mph in the 45mph zone.

Walker's father and daughter Meadow won a settlement with Porsche in 2017.