Tom Cruise led a moment’s silence at an event in Las Vegas for his “dear friend” and Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer following his death aged 65.

Speaking at the CinemaCon film event in The Colosseum theatre, Cruise paid tribute to Kilmer, wishing him “well on the next journey”.

Kilmer rose to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 hit Top Gun, playing Iceman, a rival pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick, and his final acting role was a cameo in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Variety reported that Cruise spoke from a stage at Caesars Palace and said: “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. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.

“I wish you well on the next journey.”