Tom Cruise honored his deceased friend and Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer during his appearance at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 3. Prior to presenting new footage from Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, he paused to invite the audience to participate in a moment of silence in memory of Kilmer, who died at the age of 65 on Tuesday, April 1.

Cruise pays tribute to late co-star Val Kilmer

At CinemaCon 2025, Cruise took a moment to pay tribute to his close friend, Val Kilmer, stating, “Before we begin today, I would like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer.” He elaborated, “I cannot express how much I admired his artistry and his character as a person. I am truly grateful and honored that he was part of Top Gun and returned for Top Gun: Maverick. It would be wonderful if we could all take a moment together to reflect, as he had a profound love for cinema and contributed immensely to our lives through his performances.”

The 65-year-old actor further remarked, “Let us all take a moment to remember the joyful times we shared with him,” as reported by People magazine.

Following a brief silence, Cruise conveyed his appreciation for Kilmer and the audience, saying, “Thank you, Val. I wish you well on your next journey. I appreciate everyone for participating in this moment. I know he would be grateful.” Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, informed The New York Times that he passed away due to pneumonia after battling throat cancer, a condition he was diagnosed with in 2014 but had also managed to recover from.

Cruise’s ‘pretty emotional’ reunion with Kilmer

Cruise and Kilmer portrayed a notable rivalry in the 1986 classic Top Gun, with Kilmer embodying the memorable role of Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. The duo came together again in 2022 for Top Gun: Maverick, which marked Kilmer's final on-screen appearance. In 2021, producer Jerry Bruckheimer disclosed to the press that Cruise was instrumental in facilitating Kilmer's return.

Bruckheimer stated, “He said, 'We have to have Val, we have to have him back…’ ...We all wanted him, but Tom was particularly insistent that if another Top Gun was to be made, Val needed to be included."

In 2023, the character from Mission Impossible shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live that his reunion with Kilmer during filming was “pretty emotional,” revealing that he even shed tears while on set.

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