Val Kilmer’s family have broken their silence following the actor’s sudden death April 1 at the age of 65.
Two days after his death from pneumonia was confirmed by his daughter Mercedes Kilmer, the family issued a statement on Thursday, April 3 that said, “Thank you for honoring our extraordinary father’s memory,” per People.
“We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated,” the statement continued. “At this time, we would like to grieve privately,” it concluded, per the outlet.
Kilmer–known for such films as The Doors, Tombstone, Batman Forever, Top Gun and more–was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and eventually beat the disease, but not before undergoing two tracheotomies and losing his ability to speak.
Despite losing his voice, he made his last film appearance in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, reprising his role from the original 1986 film and reuniting with the film’s star Tom Cruise.
Cruise paid tribute to Kilmer Thursday, April 3, at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas before promoting his forthcoming film, Mission Impossible—The Final Reckoning.
“I’d like to take a moment before we get started today to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer,” Cruise said, per People as the crowd applauded. “I can’t tell you how much I admired his work and him as a human being, how grateful and honored I was that he joined Top Gun and came back for Top Gun: Maverick.”
Cruise added “it would be really nice if we could just have a moment all together and just take a moment because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us with his performances with his films. If we could just all take a moment and just think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.”
“Thank you, Val,” the actor added, after he asked the crowd for a moment of silence in honor of his late friend. “I wish you well on your next journey. Thank you all for doing that. I know he appreciates it.”
