Tom Cruise holds moment of silence for ‘Top Gun’ co-star Val Kilmer: ‘I wish you well on the next journey’

Tom Cruise paid tribute to his late Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer last night (April 3), who died earlier this week, aged 65.

Kilmer passed away on Tuesday (April 1) after a battle with pneumonia, as confirmed by his daughter Mercedes. He had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, but later made a recovery.

Honouring his friend at CinemaCon at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which he attended to promote Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise asked the crowd to join him in a moment of silence for Kilmer.

“I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer,” he said. “I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.

“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.”

Cruise added: “Thank you, Val – wish you well on your next journey.”

The duo met on the set of 1986’s Top Gun, in which they played rival fighter pilots Maverick and Iceman. Kilmer returned for an emotional scene that ended up being the actor’s final on-screen appearance in the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Cruise himself previously shared that the scene was a “pretty emotional” experience for him.

Kilmer was also known for his roles as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Forever, Jim Morrison in The Doors, Perry Van Shrike in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and more.

Prior to his death, Kilmer shot an intimate documentary titled Val, in which he shared his story about his battle with cancer and losing his voice. The documentary was released in 2021.

Among those who paid tribute to the late star following his death were director Michael Mann, who Kilmer worked with on the 1995 heist drama Heat, Josh Brolin and The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola.

The post Tom Cruise holds moment of silence for ‘Top Gun’ co-star Val Kilmer: ‘I wish you well on the next journey’ appeared first on NME.