On April 1, Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes, confirmed the Batman Forever actor’s death from pneumonia to The New York Times. The actor was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but had recovered.
Kilmer portrayed “Iceman” opposite Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in 1986’s Top Gun. In 2022, Kilmer thrilled fans when he reprised his role in Top Gun: Maverick.
“I’ve known Val for decades, and 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,” Cruise said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2023.
Of their on-screen reunion, Cruise added, “I was crying. I got emotional. He’s such a brilliant actor, and I love his work.”
Kilmer shared fond memories of the Top Gun reunion as well during an interview with USA Today in 2022.
“I was very moved the first time I saw it. Almost 40 years is a long time for a reunion,” he told the publication. “We laughed all day. Tom is great and surprisingly funny!!”
Interestingly, Kilmer was not initially interested in signing on for the original film all those years ago.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t want to do Top Gun at first,” Kilmer said in his 2021 documentary Val. “I thought the script was silly, and I disliked warmongering in films. But I was under contract with the studio, so I didn’t really have a choice.”
Thank goodness he did! Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick are both streaming on Paramount+.
