Val Kilmer, who was shot to fame after showing off his acting chops in Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise, has passed away at the age of 65.
His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, confirmed to The New York Times that the legendary actor succumbed to pneumonia on Tuesday, April 1.
She further shared that her father was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but was recovered later.
After Kilmer’s breakthrough role as a naval aviator Lt. Tom “Iceman” Kazanski alongside Tom Cruise in the 1986 classic, the duo had an emotional reunion in the film’s 2023 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.
During a conversation with Jimmy Kimmel in 2023, Cruise, 62, described how he felt sharing the screen with his longtime friend again, saying, “I just want to say that was pretty emotional.”
“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,” he added.
Meanwhile, the late actor told Larry King in 2013 about working with Cruise and filming the first Top Gun.
“It was fun,” he recalled, adding, “My guy didn’t like him but it was fun to not like him.”
The film initially featured an intense rivalry between Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) and Iceman, competing for Top Gun graduation and recognition.
However, as they train and face challenges, their competition softens, and their bond evolves into respect and even friendship, with Iceman eventually becoming Maverick’s wingman.
As for Kilmer’s health issues, they first surfaced in January 2015, when a spokesperson told PEOPLE that Kilmer was rushed to the hospital “for a possible tumor.”
Soon after, he clarified on Facebook, denying that the actor had any tumor. After years of rumored health problems, Kilmer finally set the record straight about his battle with throat cancer during a December 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
In the article, the Batman Forever actor reflected on how his two-year fight with the cancer had “taken its toll” on his family and the aftereffects of a procedure on his trachea.
Kilmer is survived by his daughter Mercedes and son Jack, whom he welcomed in 1991 and 1995 respectively, with his former wife Joanne Whalley before their divorce in 1996 after tying the knot in 1988.
