Friends and Admirers Pay Tribute to Hollywood ‘Icon’ Val Kilmer

Fellow actors, industry figures, fans, and family are mourning the death of Val Kilmer.

Kilmer died from pneumonia at age 65 on April 1, according to his daughter Mercedes. 

The award-winning actor, who starred in 1980s and ’90s blockbusters Top Gun and Batman Forever and was also known for portraying musician Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and recovered after two tracheotomies but severely damaged his vocal chords. A critically-acclaimed 2021 documentary about his career and health struggles, Val, showcased hundreds of hours of footage of Kilmer through the years and was narrated by Kilmer’s son Jack. TIME film critic Stephanie Zacharek said in a review of Val that the documentary “draws us deep into the life and career of a bold and sometimes headstrong performer” and offers “a portrait of an actor who poured his all into his work.”

Read More: Val Kilmer Made It Look Easy, Even When It Wasn’t

Kilmer once held a reputation of being hard to work with, but others said he was simply serious about his craft—which also extended to television, theatre, poetry, memoir, and more. Film critic Roger Ebert said of Kilmer in 1992, “if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it.”

Kilmer reflected on his legacy in Val. “I have behaved poorly. I have behaved bravely. I have behaved bizarrely to some,” he said. “I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost and found parts of myself that I never knew existed. And I am blessed.”

Tributes from Hollywood friends, colleagues, and admirers have started pouring in since the news of Kilmer’s death.

David Zucker, who directed Kilmer’s first feature film Top Secret! in 1984, told the Hollywood Reporter, “I am especially sad to hear of Val’s passing, and although we had been in communication over the years—we lived on the same street, shared an attorney and I was aware of his condition—I find myself still a bit shocked to lose him.  My brother Jerry, Jim Abrahams and I, had the distinction of giving Val Kilmer his first movie role in Top Secret!. In his audition he broke into an impromptu Elvis song and blew us away!”

“After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news,” filmmaker Michael Mann, who directed Kilmer in the 1995 action film Heat, told the Hollywood Reporter, adding that he “always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.”

“VALUS. Will miss u, U Were Funny, crazy, pain in the ass, GREAT FRIEND, kids💜U, BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness,” singer Cher, who remained good friends with Kilmer after they dated in the early ’80s, posted on X.

“Remembering Val Kilmer, whose indelible cinematic mark spanned genres and generations. RIP Iceman,” the official Top Gun movie account on X posted, referencing the name of Kilmer’s fan-favorite character in the franchise.

Francis Ford Coppola, who directed Kilmer in the 2011 horror film Twixt, shared on Instagram a photo of them on set with the caption: “Val Kilmer was the most talented actor when in his High School, and that talent only grew greater throughout his life. He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know—I will always remember him.”

Frank Whaley, who acted alongside Kilmer in The Doors, posted, “I was fortunate to have shared many adventures with Val along the way.” Whaley told Rolling Stone that watching Kilmer transform into Morrison for the film was “life altering for me as an actor.” Whaley also directed Kilmer in his 1999 directorial debut Joe the King, for which he told Rolling Stone that he “will always be in [Kilmer’s] debt for his brilliant work in my film Joe the King in which he simply disappeared into the role of Bob Henry, a role I wrote based on my own father. His commitment to his craft was mystifying to behold. Val was a truly gifted artist and a beautiful human being.”

Actress Jennifer Tilly recalled in a post on X crossing paths with Kilmer at an audition for The Doors: “It was kind of a cattle call. They paired together potential Jims with potential Pamela‘s. And they were running behind so we were spilling out of the casting office, sitting on the porch, the lawn, and the driveway. All of a sudden, a Sixties convertible came screeching up, blaring Doors music at top volume. And a guy jumped out and strode inside: He had wild hair and he was barefoot, shirtless, and wearing nothing but a pair of tight leather pants. We all looked at each other like… Who is this guy? We were more than a little shook by the sheer audacity of his entrance. Well, of course, it was Val Kilmer and from that minute on, nobody else stood a chance. Rip King.”

Actor David Thewlis shared a memory on Instagram of acting alongside Kilmer in the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau: “I spent the most bizarre 5 months of my entire life with Val Kilmer, out in the Australian rainforest, on the ill-fated Island of Dr Moreau. It was so spectacularly bleak and awful it was almost wonderful. Look it up sometime.”

The set of The Island of Dr. Moreau, which was subject to a hurricane during production, was often described as “cursed.” The 2014 documentary Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau described how Kilmer allegedly bullied original director Richard Stanley and how Kilmer and co-star Marlon Brando were involved in numerous rewrites of the script. Director John Frankenheimer, who replaced Stanley to finish the film, reportedly said of Kilmer, after shouting cut on the final scene, “Now get that bastard off my set!” Frankenheimer later told Entertainment Weekly that there were two things he would never do: “climb Mount Everest and work with Val Kilmer again.” Others who worked with Kilmer defended his attentive and immersive approach to his work.

“As Val wrote in his final mail to me: ‘What an incredible story we lived, you and I. One of the greatest,’” Thewlis added in his tribute. “Bittersweet to be back here in Australia and hear the heartbreaking news. He was one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met. Proud to have called him a friend and co-conspirator.”

Actor Nicholas Cage told the Hollywood Reporter that he “enjoyed working with” Kilmer on the 2009 crime action film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. “I always liked Val and am sad to hear of his passing. I thought he was a genius actor,” Cage said. “I admired his commitment and sense of humor. He should have won the Oscar for The Doors.”

Film critic Richard Roeper said Kilmer deserved Best Supporting Actor award nominations for his roles in Heat and 1993 western Tombstone. “He was a brilliant presence in some of the most enduring films of his generation. Rest well. Thank you for the incredible work,” Roeper posted on X.

Michelle Monaghan, who co-starred alongside Kilmer in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, posted, “A kind, curious, committed, rebellious, and radical gent. I learned from one of the greats. An artist through and through. I treasured my time with you.❤️ Godspeed buddy.”

In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Jim Carrey, Kilmer’s co-star in Batman Forever, said, “I’m remembering Val Kilmer today with great admiration for him as a man and as a generational talent who left us an enviable legacy of indelible acting performances. His greatest artistic achievements were rivaled only by the grace and courage with which he endured his life’s most challenging moments. Wishing his family so much love.”

Visual effects studio Industrial Light & Magic, which worked on the 1988 film Willow, shared a photo of Kilmer as the film’s character Madmartigan. “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and colleague, Val Kilmer,” the studio posted on Threads. “From his memorable roles as Madmartigan, Iceman, Doc Holliday, and Jim Morrison, Val cemented himself as one of the greats. He will be deeply missed and our thoughts are with his family at this time.”

Ralph Fiennes shared on X a photo of him and Kilmer with the characters they voiced in the 1998 animated musical The Prince of Egypt. “Val Kilmer rest in peace,” Fiennes added.

Lucasfilm executive Pablo Hidalgo posted on BlueSky, “Oh man, not Val Kilmer. His comedic chops were top notch but he had a fascinating storm roiling beneath the surface.”

“See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those,” actor Josh Brolin posted on Instagram. “I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”

“RIP Val Kilmer. If it wasn’t for our chance encounter at the Source [a Hollywood restaurant] in 1985, I may never have been cast in FULL METAL JACKET. Thanks, Val,” actor Matthew Modine posted on X.

Actor Joe Manganiello said Kilmer was “one of the main reasons I wanted to become an actor and why I felt it was so important for me to seek out classical training.”

“He could do it all… drama, comedy, classical… He was great with a sword, a gun, a fighter jet, or a shot cup. Then on top of all of that, he could sing… case in point: for most of my life when I tried to picture Jim Morrison, I could only see him,” Manganiello posted on Instagram. “His performances were brave and intelligent, and he showed me that you didn’t always have to be the star in order to make the most impact. If the situation presented itself, you could take a tiny, nothing part on paper and elevate it into a scene stealer.”

“Oh, and he got to be Batman,” Manganiello added. “RIP to one of the all time greats…”

Author Don Winslow called Kilmer a “brilliant actor and a good man” in a tribute on X. 

Bill Simmons, founder of the sports and pop culture website The Ringer, posted on X: “There wasn’t anyone quite like Val Kilmer. Really enjoyed his work. RIP.”

“You fought so valiantly Val. Your kindness and your heart will always be remembered by me professionally,” entertainment industry publicist Danny Deraney posted on X. “As a kid, your films put a stamp on me that will never be forgotten. Rest in power Val Kilmer. You earned it.”