Tom Cruise has paid a touching tribute to his “dear friend” and fellow Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer after the Hollywood star died at the age of 65. The Mission Impossible star, 62, took to the stage at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in the heart of Las Vegas for CinemaCon to pay tribute to the Batman star.

According to Variety, he said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick. I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that he had with him. I wish you well on the next journey.” He also dedicated a moment of silence to the late actor at the convention.

Cruise appeared at the event to discuss his next film, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which is being released on May 21 in the UK.

Back in 2022, the Hollywood actor expressed his delight over Kilmer reprising his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky on Top Gun: Maverick. Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he said: “I just want to say that was pretty emotional. I’ve known Val for decades. For him to come back and play that character… he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again. You’re looking at Iceman.”

Kilmer’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, who told the New York Times that he died from complications related to pneumonia.

The Hollywood icon enjoyed a long standing career which has earned him the devoted adoration of millions of fans worldwide. Kilmer, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, spent the later years of his life largely out of the spotlight.

As a result of his condition, Kilmer underwent both radiotherapy and chemotherapy and ultimately required a tracheostomy, a special surgical procedure to make a hole in his neck to breathe after his throat swelled to a life-threatening degree.

In a candid insight into his health battle in his Amazon Prime documentary, Kilmer laid bare his experience with throat cancer and how his life had changed irrevocably with the loss of his voice – and the artificial voice box he had to use to communicate.

“I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel. I can’t speak without plugging this hole [in his throat],” he said. Kilmer also had to be fed through a tube as a result of his illness.

“You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat. It’s an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me,” he said.