Hollywood is mourning the loss of an icon.
Actor Josh Brolin and director Michael Mann are among those paying tribute to Val Kilmer, who died Tuesday at age 65. The “Top Gun,” “Batman Forever,” “Heat” and “Tombstone” star died from pneumonia and was surrounded by friends and family in Los Angeles Tuesday night.
Here’s a look at some of the reactions to Kilmer’s death from co-stars, directors and more.
“See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you.” Josh Brolin wrote on Instagram. “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 was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know — I will always remember him,” Francis Ford Coppola shared on Instagram.
“While working with Val on ‘Heat’ I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.” Michael Mann wrote in a statement. “After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.”
“A long time ago, I was auditioning for the movie ‘The Doors’ It was kind of a cattle call,” Jennifer Tilly wrote on X. “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.”
“RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood,” actor Josh Gad shared on Instagram. “You truly were an icon.”
“Rest in peace VAL KILMER. A brilliant actor and a good man,” author Don Winslow said on X.
Academy Award-nominated actor Ralph Fiennes, who shared the animated screen with Kilmer in “The Prince of Egypt, ” took to X to commemorate his fellow thespian.
Val Kilmer rest in peace 🙏🏻😇 pic.twitter.com/iZSRHiIklt
— Ralph Fiennes (@mrralphfiennes) April 2, 2025
“RIP Val Kilmer. If it wasn’t for our chance encounter at the Source in 1985, I may never have been cast in FULL METAL JACKET,” actor Matthew Modine shared on X, speaking about the Hollywood restaurant. “Thanks, Val.”
“Rest in peace to our former campus mate, the great Val Kilmer (1959-2025), who at 17 was the youngest drama student ever admitted to The [Juilliard] School’s Drama Division,” Film at Lincoln Center shared on X.
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