Tom Cruise paid tribute to his late Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer on Thursday.
While speaking onstage at CinemaCon 2025 about Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise took a moment to honor Kilmer and shared what it meant to work with the actor on Top Gun, according to Variety. He also asked attendees to join him in a moment of silence for Kilmer.
“I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honored I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick,” Cruise said. “I think it would be really nice if we could just 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.”
After the moment of silence, Cruise, speaking to his late co-star, said, “I wish you well on the next journey.”
Top Gun served as Kilmer’s first major role, playing Tom “Iceman” Kazansky alongside Cruise’s Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
Kilmer died from pneumonia Tuesday night, according to his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, who confirmed the news to The Associated Press.
Pneumonia is a lung infection commonly caused by bacteria or viruses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kilmer was previously diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015 and underwent a tracheotomy — a surgical procedure that creates an opening in the front of the neck to access the trachea, or windpipe, directly, according to the Cleveland Clinic — which made speaking difficult for the actor.
Kilmer is survived by his Mercedes and his son, Jack.
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