Shortly after the news broke about Val Kilmer’s sudden passing, friends and fans took to social media to pay tribute to the late actor.
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Josh Brolin posted a snapshot of them together on his Instagram account. “See ya, pal,” Brolin wrote. “I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those.”
Brolin further shared, “I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”
Fellow actor Josh Gad also wrote in an Instagram post, featuring the late actor in Top Gun, “RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood. You truly were an icon.”
Despite his decline in the role in the 1983 film The Outsiders (but later starred in his 2011 horror film Twixt), Francis Ford Coppola praised Kilmer as being the most talented actor when he was in high school. “That talent only grew greater throughout his life,” he stated. “He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know – I will always remember him.”
Jennifer Tilly recalled first meeting Val Kilmer while auditioning for The Doors. “A sixties convertible came screeching up, blaring Doors Music at top volume,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “And a guy jumped out and strode inside. He had wild hair, and he was barefoot, shirtless, and wearing nothing but a pair of tight leather pants.”
She then said, “We all looked at each other like… Who is this guy? We were more than a little shook by the sheer audacity of his entrance. Well, of course, it was Val Kilmer, and from that minute on, nobody else stood a chance. Rip King.”
Val Kilmer Died of Pneumonia More Than a Decade After He Was Diagnosed With Throat Cancer
Val Kilmer’s daughter confirmed to The New York Times that he died from pneumonia on Tuesday. He was 65.
The actor had previously battled throat cancer and had lost his voice after undergoing multiple tracheotomies. After recovering, he continued his acting, and other actors had dubbed over his voice. He would plug an electric voice box into his trachea to speak.
His final film was Top Gun Maverick, where he reprised his iconic Top Gun role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky.
He is survived by his children, Mercedes and Jack.