Val Kilmer 's family has ended their silence following the actor's unexpected passing on April 1 at the age of 65.
Two days following the confirmation of his demise due to pneumonia by his daughter. Mercedes Kilmer On Thursday, April 3, the family released a statement saying, "We appreciate your respect for our exceptional father’s legacy." People .
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"We hold him in such high regard and feel privileged to witness the celebration of his legacy," the statement went on. "Currently, our wish is to observe our grief in private," it ended, according to the source.
Kilmer—famous for movies like The Doors , Tombstone , Batman Forever, Top Gun And more—was found to have throat cancer in 2014 and ultimately overcame the illness, though not without facing two tracheotomies and permanently losing his voice.
Even though he lost his voice, he made his final film appearance in the 2022 movie. Top Gun: Maverick , taking on the character he portrayed in the original 1986 movie and joining forces again with the film's lead actor Tom Cruise .
On Thursday, April 3, Cruise honored Kilmer during a presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas, which was followed by him promoting his upcoming movie. Mission Impossible—The Final Reckoning.
"Cruise took a moment prior to beginning our session today to pay tribute to his close friend, Val Kilmer," as reported. People As the audience clapped. "I cannot express how greatly I respected his work and his character as an individual, and how thankful and privileged I felt when he agreed to participate." Top Gun and came back for Top Gun: Maverick ."
Cruise mentioned, "It would be truly delightful if we could simply share some time collectively and pause for a moment since he was an ardent movie enthusiast who contributed immensely to each one of us through his acting and films. Let’s take a brief instant to reflect upon all the fantastic memories we shared with him."
Thank you, Val," the actor said following his request to the audience for a moment of silence in memory of his departed friend. "I hope everything goes smoothly for you on your upcoming journey. Thanks to each one of you for participating. I’m sure he’s grateful for this.