Mission: Impossible and Top Gun star Tom Cruise gave an emotional speech about his friend and co-star Val Kilmer following his sad passing from complications with pneumonia
Top Gun star Tom Cruise has opened up following the death of his co-star and friend Val Kilmer at just 65 years old, after the Iceman actor suffered complications from pneumonia.
Cruise played the lead role of Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell alongside Kilmer’s Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky in Top Gun in 1986, and fans were left emotional when they managed to reunite onscreen for Top Gun: Maverick in 2022 despite Kilmer’s ailing health.
Now the daredevil Mission: Impossible star has opened up about the death of his friend while talking onstage at at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas as part of CinemaCon 2025. Variety quotes him as saying: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer.
“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.”
He urged the audience to be mindful, encouraging them to: “Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him. I wish you well on the next journey,” he finished, with his hand over his heart as he talked about his friend.
Cruise then lowered his head and held his hands together in contemplation in a touching moment. He was in attendance at the event to promote his new film, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which will hit cinemas on May 23.
Back in 2022 Tom talked about how pleased he was that they managed to work something out so that Kilmer could return for the Top Gun sequel, despite his health issues. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tom explained: “I just want to say that was pretty emotional. I’ve known Val for decades, so for him to come back and play that character… he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again.
“You’re looking at Iceman,” he added. One of the producers of the film, Jerry Bruckheimer, also credited Tom for being “the driving force” to create the opportunity for Kilmer to return.
Val became a household name after starring in the likes of Batman Forever and The Doors, and was tragically diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015. In the Top Gun sequel his character was seen talking through a computer to replace his voice.
His sad death was announced by his daughter Mercedes earlier this week, after he died of complications from pneumonia, after previously undergoing surgery to have a tracheotomy. In one of his last interviews back in 2014 before he lost his voice, he said he wished he had “loved more” and “been a better person” when he was younger.
He also confessed he had been difficult to work with, recalling: “I was a dumb actor. I complained quite a bit when I was younger.”
“I didn’t appreciate the business that afforded me the lifestyle that I very quickly enjoyed. Very quickly, I starred in my first movie, I was the lead in the first play I did professionally”
“And now that I don’t have that privilege, I wish that I loved more. I want to be a better person. I try to figure that out every day, how to be more grateful.”
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
