The cast and crew of "Fast & Furious 7" have had a tougher production than they ever could have imagined, and in a bitter sweet Facebook message, they have announced its completion.

"Today we completed the last shot in the production of FAST & FURIOUS 7," the post reads. "We wanted to take this moment to express how thankful we are for your support. We felt the love and strength from our fans throughout this journey, and it’s because of you that we got here. There was a time when we didn’t know how we could go on, or even if we should. But we listened to you, and you inspired us not only to keep going but to try and make the best FAST & FURIOUS movie yet."

The entire post is a gracious "thank you" to the many fans of the "Fast & Furious" series, as well as to all of the people who worked on the franchise's seventh installment.

The passing of Paul Walker was obviously a driving force behind the post, but the message only made brief mention of the star, who died in a car crash last year. "Our family is big and strong but it won’t ever quite be whole again without Paul," it said. "All of us -- those who’ve been here from the start and those whose first FAST film is 7 -- wanted to create a special film for him and for you. We believe we have."

"Fast & Furious 7" opens in theaters on April 3, 2015.