Actress pays tribute to her British magazine publisher father, 73, killed in Thailand car crash after his vehicle smashes into a wall

A veteran British magazine publisher was killed in a car crash in Thailand on Monday afternoon. 

Colin Hastings, publisher of the English-language 'Big Chilli' lifestyle magazine, crashed his car into a residential wall in Chonburi province on April 29.

Medics and rescuers pulled the 73-year-old out of his Toyota Vios, where the airbags had been deployed, and tried to revive him with CPR, to no avail.

He was declared dead at the scene at 3:15pm.

Colin's Thai daughter Angie Hastings, a former actress, posted a photo of her father on Instagram with a brief caption: 'I lost my father - we are still in shock. I just need some time.'

Angie appeared in several Thai television series and films between 2000-2016, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Media Studies from Kingston University.  

Police Lieutenant Santichon Hoomart of the Sattahip Police Station said: 'The car may have been travelling at a high speed before the collision. It was found that the driver had an underlying medical condition. We are investigating if this caused the crash.'

The policeman said that the homeowner called the police when the car crashed into their wall.

The officer added: 'The victim is not believed to have been drunk. There was no smell of alcohol. There are no other charges in the case and nobody is under suspicion of any crimes. 

'It was an accident. The driver's insurance will pay for the damage to the wall.'

Colin's body was taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Bangkok Police Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Tributes to the well loved journalist and publisher have since flooded in on social media.  

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) wrote in a tribute: 'A veteran British journalist with Fleet Street experience, Colin arrived in Bangkok in 1973, and worked on numerous publications with the Bangkok Post and at Media Transasia.

'He went on to become the first editor of Thailand Tatler in 1991, and in 1999 launched his own expat-focused publication, Big Chilli, which he managed to keep afloat while print media all over the world went out of business.

'A superb squash player, Colin was an outstanding all-round sportsman. He served on the board of the British Club, and moved as easily in Thai society as he did in foreign circles.

'The FCCT will publish a fuller tribute to Colin in the coming days, along with details of arrangements for his funeral.”

The BigChilli said in a statement on its Facebook page on April 29: 'It is with heavy hearts that we inform you of the passing of Colin Hastings this afternoon due to a tragic car accident. We are deeply saddened by this loss.

'Further details will be shared as soon as we receive them. Please keep Colin's family and loved ones in your thoughts during this difficult time.'

Staff at Colin's local pub, The Royal Oak Bangkok, paid tribute to their 'much loved' regular.

They said: 'All the staff at The Royal Oak have been deeply shocked at the tragic news of the passing of our dear friend Colin Hastings.

'Firstly we would like to pass on our heartfelt condolences from every one of us at the Oak to Colin's family and friends at this difficult time.

'Colin had frequented these premises long before most of the staff were born. In all that time I doubt you will find anybody with a bad word to say about him, certainly not our staff who he always treated with the utmost respect.'

The tribute continued: 'Colin was a member of our Sunday club, an informal group of long term expat residents who gather every Sunday afternoon in the Oak. I'm not sure Sunday's will ever be the same.

'Our small, tight knit community has been hit hard by the loss of our dear friend Colin and we will be holding our own fitting tribute to him in due course.'

Colin was a longstanding member of the FCCT and arrived in Bangkok in 1973, shortly before the fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War two years later.

He forged a storied career in journalism, working across numerous publications including the Bangkok Post, Thailand Tatler, and Media Transasia, before starting his magazine, Big Chilli, in 1999.

The magazine has an estimated monthly circulation of 35,000 and is distributed across Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Rayong, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, and Phuket.