“You have opened parts of the heart I never knew [were] there,” the ‘Fast and Furious’ actor shared in his tribute

Hania Riley Sinclair (left); Vin Diesel. PHOTO: VIN DIESEL/INSTAGRAM; LAURENT VITEUR/WIREIMAGE

Vin Diesel is celebrating his eldest daughter’s sweet sixteen!

The Fast X star, 56, shared a rare photo of his daughter Hania “Similce” Riley Sinclair in an Instagram post alongside a lengthy sentimental tribute to her on her 16th birthday.

In the picture he shared, Hania’s silhouette could be seen in front of a sunset on a beach. She appeared to wear a red-colored dress as she looked to the east, and her curly hair could be seen flowing behind her in the wind.

“On this exact day 16 years ago… I was pacing in [Paul Walker’s] trailer after a long day of filming. When I shared with him the fact that I was hours away from receiving you he gave me that great advice that has made the experience the most beautiful moment in my life,” he captioned the post.

Vin Diesel (center), son Vincent Sinclair and daughter Hania Riley Sinclair in Hollywood on April 19, 2017.AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC

Diesel likely alluded to the fact that Walker had advised him to take a more active role in his baby girl’s delivery, which he previously brought up on The Jonathan Ross Show. This prompted him to be in the delivery room with his partner Paloma Jiménez during the birth and cut Hania’s umbilical cord.

He went on to further praise Hania on Instagram for opening his heart and bringing joy into his life in the years that followed.

“As I search for today’s words… how to express the pride, the joy…The light you have brought to the world’s existence. The meaning in which your very soul has illuminated life itself. Blessed and grateful, is the lens I have been fortunate enough to view all things,” the star wrote.

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“However, when I distill happiness, joy and love to one singular source it is you, my Alpha Angel,” he continued. “You have opened parts of the heart I never knew [were] there. Your wisdom, compassion and kindness… your very being proves that no matter how dark the world may seem… light will always triumph.”

“I am so proud of the human you are growing to be. Fatherhood has changed over the millenniums… but what hasn’t changed, is that it is truly the best gift…blessing, a soul can know,” he concluded the post. “Happy Birthday my angel. Your proud and grateful father.”

Diesel also shares son Vincent Sinclair, 13, and Pauline Sinclair, 9 — named in honor of Walker after his sudden death in 2013 — with Jiménez.

The actor’s eldest children have been following in his acting footsteps. Hania starred in the Netflix animated series, Fast and Furious: Spy Racers, while his son was cast in F9 as a younger version of his dad’s character, Dominic Toretto.

He opened up about the bond his kids shared with his fellow Fast and Furious cast members and crew as they grew up on set during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2021.

“We’ve been making these movies for so long, that every time one of my children were born, I was usually working on a Fast and Furious movie,” he told the host. “So the director and the cast all have their own relationship with my children.”