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Today โ€” 2 April 2025Main stream

Celebrities are paying tribute to 'Top Gun' star Val Kilmer after his death: 'Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood'

2 April 2025 at 20:46
A young Val Kilmer posing for a photo in a casino.
Celebrities are paying tribute to Val Kilmer after he died at age 65 on Tuesday.

Paul Harris/Getty Images

  • Actor Val Kilmer died on Tuesday in Los Angeles at age 65.
  • He was known for starring alongside Tom Cruise in the hit 1986 film "Top Gun."
  • Fellow celebrities and friends are paying tribute to the actor on social media.

Celebrities are paying tribute to Val Kilmer after he died at age 65 on Tuesday.

His daughter confirmed to The New York Times that pneumonia was the cause of the actor's death.

Kilmer was previously diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but recovered. However, due to a tracheostomy, his voice was permanently damaged.

He was known for his roles in 1986's "Top Gun," 1991's "The Doors," and 1995's "Batman Forever."

Following the news of Kilmer's death, friends and fellow celebrities shared their reactions on social media.

Francis Ford Coppola said Kilmer was "a joy to know"

Francis Ford Coppola worked with Kilmer on 2011's horror film "Twixt."

"Val Kilmer was the most talented actor when in his High School, and that talent only grew greater throughout his life. He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know โ€” I will always remember him," the filmmaker wrote on Instagram.

Cher paid tribute to Kilmer, whom she dated in the '80s

Val Kilmer and Cher in the '80s.
Cher and Kilmer briefly dated in the '80s.

William Nation/Sygma via Getty Images

"VALUS Will miss u,U Were Funny,crazy,pain in the ass,GREAT FRIEND,kidsโ™ฅU, BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness," the "Believe" singer wrote in a post on X, using her nickname for the actor.

In 2021, she told People that Kilmer and she had nicknames for each other.

"We called ourselves Sid and Ethel. Val didn't want to yell 'Cher' and I didn't want to yell 'Val,'" Cher said. "We also called ourselves Valus Maximus and Cherus Reprimandus. It was just kind of who I was in the household. Of course, he was Maximus, come on."

Michael Douglas shared a photo of himself and Kilmer from 1996's "The Ghost and the Darkness"

"RIP Val Kilmer. It was an honor working with Val on The Ghost and the Darkness nearly 30 years ago. Val will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on forever in the films and performances he so brilliantly shared with us," Michael Douglas wrote in his Instagram caption accompanying the photo.

Josh Brolin shared a heartfelt message to Kilmer

Actor Josh Brolin, who portrays Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, shared a heartfelt message to Kilmer on Instagram.

"See ya, pal. I'm going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There's not a lot left of those. I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts," Brolin wrote in his caption.

Michael Mann posted a throwback photo of Kilmer

"While working with Val on 'Heat' I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val's possessing and expressing character. After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news," filmmaker Michael Mann wrote in his caption.

Mann worked with Kilmer in 1995's crime drama film "Heat," which also starred Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino.

Michelle Monaghan shared a photo of herself and Kilmer, whom she worked with on "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"

"A kind, curious, committed, rebellious, and radical gent. I learned from one of the greats. An artist through and through. I treasured my time with you," The "White Lotus" star wrote in her caption. "Godspeed buddy."

Josh Gad thanked Kilmer for being a part of many movies from his childhood

Josh Gad, best known for voicing Olaf in Disney's "Frozen" franchise and for playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon," shared a tribute to Kilmer on Instagram along with a photo of the "Top Gun" star.

"RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood. You truly were an icon," Gad wrote in his caption.

Matthew Modine shared an anecdote about meeting Val Kilmer in 1985

RIP Val Kilmer. If it wasn't for our chance encounter at the Source in 1985, I may never have been cast in FULL METAL JACKET. Thanks, Val. ๐Ÿ™โ˜ฎ๏ธ pic.twitter.com/YTMRjy78vC

โ€” Matthew Modine (@MatthewModine) April 2, 2025

"RIP Val Kilmer. If it wasn't for our chance encounter at the Source in 1985, I may never have been cast in FULL METAL JACKET. Thanks, Val," Matthew Modine, who also starred in "Stranger Things," wrote on X.

Accompanying Modine's post was a video telling how his bumping into Kilmer in a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard set off a chain of events that eventually culminated in him getting cast in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket."

Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash posted a photo of Kilmer from the film "Tombstone"

In the 1993 film, Kilmer plays the American outlaw Doc Holliday.

"RIP #ValKilmer," Slash wrote in his caption.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Yesterday โ€” 1 April 2025Main stream

'Top Gun' star Val Kilmer dead at 65

1 April 2025 at 22:30
val kilmer
Val Kilmer, known for his roles in "Top Gun" and "Batman Forever," has died at 65.

AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

  • Val Kilmer, known for his roles in "Top Gun" and "The Doors," has died at age 65.
  • His daughter confirmed to The New York Times that pneumonia was the cause of the actor's death.
  • He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, and his voice was permanently damaged from a tracheostomy.

Val Kilmer, the actor known for his roles in "Top Gun" and "Batman Forever," died on Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 65.

His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, confirmed to The New York Times that the cause of death was pneumonia.

Originally a stage actor, Kilmer made his film debut in 1984's "Top Secret." In 1986, he was cast alongside Tom Cruise in "Top Gun," a film about students at the United States Navy's elite Fighter Weapons School.

In the movie, which became a cult classic, Kilmer played Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, a rival to Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.

Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise on the set of "Top Gun."
Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise played rivals in the 1986 film "Top Gun."

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

He starred as Jim Morrison in 1991's "The Doors," in which he was praised for his uncanny depiction of the troubled rock singer. Kilmer's singing voice was used in the film.

In 1995, Kilmer played the Dark Knight in "Batman Forever," taking over the role from Michael Keaton. The film was met with mixed reviews and he was replaced by George Clooney for 1997's "Batman & Robin."

Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but recovered. However, his voice was permanently damaged due to a tracheostomy.

To reprise his role as Iceman in 2022's "Top Gun: Maverick," the actor worked with a London tech company, Sonantic, to use AI to recreate his voice for the sequel.

Jerry Bruckheimer, a producer on the "Top Gun" sequel, said in 2022 that Cruise was the "driving force" behind getting Kilmer to return for the movie.

"He said, 'We have to have Val, we have to have him back. We have to have him in the film,'" Bruckheimer told People. "And he was the driving force. We all wanted him, but Tom was really adamant that if he's going to make another 'Top Gun,' Val had to be in it."

Kilmer has two children, son Jack Kilmer and daughter Mercedes Kilmer, with his ex-wife, Joanne Whalley, whom he divorced in 1996.

A representative for Kilmer and Kilmer's agent did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. BI was not immediately able to reach Mercedes Kilmer for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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