Jack Kilmer and Mercedes Kilmer; Val Kilmer. Photo:
VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty; EuropaNewswire/Gado/Getty
- Val Kilmer’s family has spoken out in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, with gratitude “for honoring our extraordinary father’s memory”
- “At this time, we would like to grieve privately,” they added in the statement
- The actor died of pneumonia at age 65 on Tuesday, April 1, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer confirmed to The New York Times
Val Kilmer‘s family has spoken out following his death.
Two days after his daughter Mercedes Kilmer confirmed her dad had died at age 65, the family says in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, “Thank you for honoring our extraordinary father’s memory.”
“We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated,” the statement continues, concluding, “At this time, we would like to grieve privately.”
Mercedes told The New York Times that Kilmer died of pneumonia on Tuesday, April 1. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later recovered, she added.
Jack and Val Kilmer; Mercedes and Val Kilmer. Rich Polk/Getty; Michael Tullberg/Getty
Kilmer’s last public outing took place with daughter Mercedes, 33, during the annual Thespians Go Hollywood Gala at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles on Nov. 18, 2019.
At the event, the Tombstone star posed for photos on the red carpet with his only daughter, who is also an actor and costarred alongside her dad in 2020’s Paydirt.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
In addition to Mercedes, the actor shared son Jack Kilmer, 28, with his ex-wife, Joanne Whalley. They were married from 1988 to 1996.
Known for movies such as Batman Forever (1995) and Top Gun, Kilmer made his final appearance onscreen in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, reuniting with Tom Cruise in the long-awaited sequel to their 1986 classic action flick.
Tom Cruise; Val Kilmer. Dave Benett/WireImage; AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
Cruise, 62, honored Kilmer at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 3, before beginning his presentation on new material from his upcoming film Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.
“I’d like to take a moment before we get started today to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer,” Cruise said, to applause from the crowd. “I can’t tell you how much I admired his work and him as a human being, how grateful and honored I was that he joined Top Gun and came back for Top Gun: Maverick.”
He went on to say “it would be really nice if we could just have a moment all together and just take a moment because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us with his performances with his films. If we could just all take a moment and just think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.”
“Thank you Val,” Cruise added, after he led the moment of silence for his late friend and colleague. “I wish you well on your next journey. Thank you all for doing that. I know he appreciates it.”
