Walmart apologises after insensitive Paul Walker tweet

US retail chain Walmart is feeling the heat online after posting an insensitive tweet about late beloved actor, Paul Walker.

The backlash started when a user on the social media site posted about the store selling cinnamon rolls with strawberry and cream icing. Making a joke about desperately needing the treats, they followed up with a gif of a car darting through traffic, captioned, "Me racin' to the nearest Wally World."

Noticing the innocent post, Walmart's official account responded, "Hey, Paul Walker. Click it or ticket."

The reply, referencing the Fast & Furious actor who tragically lost his life in a car accident in 2013, sparked fury amongst fans, prompting the company to delete the comment.

Shortly after, Walmart issued an apology via TMZ.

"We apologise to Paul Walker's family, friends and fans," the statement read. "The tweet was posted in poor judgement and has been removed."

Walker passed away in a single-car accident in Southern California aged 40.

The actor was a passenger in a Porsche Carrera GT when the driver, his friend Roger Rodas, lost control. The car hit two trees and exploded into flames.

The actor was mid-way through filming Fast 7 when he lost his life, with his brother Cody finishing his final scenes with the help of CGI.

Five years after his death, Cody revealed his family were still heartbroken over the huge loss.

"I think each passing year it gets a bit better," he told Metro. "There's that saying, time heals. But there's always that huge gap in all of our hearts.

"We all miss him. Everyone had a different type of relationship with him. He was just such a real down to earth person. And he just really left an impact on everybody that that he touched everybody that knew him."