Tom Cruise Breaks Silence On Death Of “Top Gun” Co-Star Val Kilmer
on Apr 03, 2025
Tom Cruise led a moment of silence for his late friend and former co-star, Val Kilmer, at CinemaCon 2025 on Thursday (April 3).
Actor Val Kilmer, perhaps best known for his breakout role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in the 1986 film Top Gun, died Monday, April 1 at the age of 65. His daughter shared the news, saying that his cause of death was pneumonia.
Kilmer was loved and respected as an actor and many of his colleagues paid tribute to him following his passing. On Thursday, Tom Cruise spoke about his late friend at CinemaCon, remembering him as a legendary actor and a great human being.
Before promoting the release of his upcoming film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise remembered Kilmer, saying:
“I’d like to take a moment before we get started today to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer,” Cruise said, according to PEOPLE. “I can’t tell you how much I admired his work and him as a human being, how grateful and honored I was that he joined Top Gun and came back for Top Gun: Maverick.”
Cruise then asked the audience to join him for a moment of silence.
“I think it would be really nice if we could just have a moment all together and just take a moment because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us with his performances with his films. If we could just all take a moment and just think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.”
After the moment of silence, Cruise said, “Thank you, Val. I wish you well on your next journey.”
Val Kilmer’s last film role was in the Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick in 2022.
Val Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, a diagnosis that greatly affected his career. The treatments caused the actor to barely be able to speak. His return to the big screen was monumental and extremely sentimental for fans of the original Top Gun.
In a 2023 interview, Tom Cruise told host Jimmy Kimmel what it was like to reunite with Val Kilmer for the Top Gun sequel, 36 years after they co-starred in the original.
“That was pretty emotional,” Cruise said. “I’ve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character … he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again.”
Kimmel asked Cruise if he cried during the reunion. Tom said, “I was crying, I was crying. I got emotional. He’s such a brilliant actor, I love his work.”
In a documentary about his life and career, Val Kilmer admitted that he didn’t want to be in Top Gun because he thought it was a “silly” script. But, he signed on due to being under contract with the studio. His decision led to a lifelong friendship with Tom Cruise, despite playing adversaries on screen.
“I’ve always thought of Tom as a friend,” Val said in the documentary. The two stayed in close touch and exchanged Christmas gifts every year.
Val Kilmer’s family issued a statement about his death on Thursday.
In a statement issued to PEOPLE, Kilmer’s family said they “are so proud of him” and asked fans to allow them to grieve privately.
“Thank you for honoring our extraordinary father’s memory,” the statement read. “We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated. At this time, we would like to grieve privately.”
Val Kilmer is survived by two adult children, Mercedes (33) and Jack (28).
