By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-04-02 07:16:22 | Updated at 2025-04-03 07:48:03
1 day ago
Actor Josh Brolin, 57, has published a tribute to his ‘pal’ Val Kilmer following the announcement of the Top Gun and Batman star’s death aged 65.
Kilmer died on Tuesday in Los Angeles from pneumonia following a long cancer battle, his daughter Mercedes said in a statement to the New York Times.
The Hollywood icon was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and underwent surgery, including a tracheotomy which significantly diminished his ability to speak, but had later recovered.
Brolin, the son of actor James Brolin, took to Instagram and shared a sweet pic of him and Kilmer grinning ear-to-ear, arm over each other's shoulder.
Brolin has paid tribute to Val Kilmer in a heartfelt statement
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“See ya, pal. I'm going to miss you,” the 57-year-old actor began.
“You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There's not a lot left of those. I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there.
“Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”
He added a series of love heart and broken heart emojis, followed by a diamond.
Kilmer burst onto the scene starring as Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky alongside Tom Cruise in the 1986 hit Top Gun.
Not initially wanting the role, producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed: "Tom (Cruise) said he wasn't going to make the movie without him."
He reprised his role as Iceman in 2022’s smash hit sequel Top Gun: Maverick where his character mirrored the actor’s real-life trouble with speaking in intimate scenes with Cruise.
Outside Top Gun, Kilmer was one of the highest paid actors in the 1990s and in 1992 film critic Roger Ebert wrote: "If there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it".
Kilmer's breakout role as Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky alongside Tom Cruise in the 1986 hit Top Gun
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He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of musician Jim Morrison in the 1991 film The Doors, before taking on the role of Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever.
He was also famed for his role as Doc Holliday in the 1993 western Tombstone alongside Kurt Russel, Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton.
Kilmer dated some iconic Hollywood stars including Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie, Carly Simon and Cher, before marrying Joan Whalley in 1988, who he met while working on the film Willow.
The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
In the Amazon Prime documentary entitled Val, Kilmer spoke candidly about living with the consequences of throat cancer including having to use an electric device called a voice box on the artificial hole in his throat to talk.
He said: “I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel.I can’t speak without plugging this hole (in his throat). You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat.
“It’s an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me.”
In a post on social media, actor Josh Gad also paid tribute to the action star: “RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood. You truly were an icon.”
