From Josh Brolin to Michael Mann: Celebrities pay tribute to Val Kilmer after actor's death

Val Kilmer’s unexpected demise has come as a shocker to many. The Heat actor was suffering from pneumonia when he died in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

The news of Val’s untimely passing was confirmed by his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, to The New York Times. The news has come after the Willow actor’s years-long health struggles caused by throat cancer and his ultimate recovery following chemotherapy and tracheostomies. The Hollywood icon’s cancer treatment was also the reason behind severe damage to his voice, which was also depicted in the documentary Val.

After Val Kilmer’s death, tributes started pouring in on social media, with many celebrities remembering him. Well-known names like Josh Brolin, Michael Mann, Ron Howard, Jennifer Tilly, and more paid their respects to the Tombstone star. Read on to learn more about what celebrities said about Val Kilmer.

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Celebrities like Josh Brolin, Ron Howard, and more paid tributes to Val Kilmer

Hollywood icons like Josh Brolin, Francis Ford Coppola, and more took to their Instagram handles to write about the Top Gun star. At the same time, Michael Mann, who directed the Val Kilmer starrer Heat, issued a statement after the demise of his past collaborator. Check out what they expressed about Kilmer as follows:

Josh Brolin

The Sicario actor posted a picture with his “pal,” Val Kilmer, on Instagram and expressed how he is “going to miss” him. Brolin described the late actor as “a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker” and added that there’s a scarcity of those. He continued,

“I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts. ❤️💔❤️💔❤️💔💎”

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Francis Ford Coppola

Kilmer starred in The Godfather director’s 2011 horror movie, Twixt. Francis Ford Coppola remembered his former collaborator on Instagram by posting a picture with him and writing,

“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.”

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Jennifer Tilly

The Oscar-nominated actress was among the actresses who auditioned for the role of Pamela Courson in the Kilmer starrer The Doors. Tilly recounted an anecdote from her audition while paying tribute to The Prince of Egypt voice actor. She wrote on X,

“A long time ago, I was auditioning for the movie “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.”

Jennifer Tilly continued by describing Val’s entry to the scene,

“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.”

She concluded the story by acknowledging Kilmer’s distinctive personality,

“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”

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Matthew Modine

Modine and Kilmer appeared in Have Dreams, Will Travel (2007), but it wasn’t the first time they crossed each other’s paths. Val was considered for the role that Matthew portrayed in Full Metal Jacket. Acknowledging their “chance encounter” from the ‘80s, the Stranger Things actor wrote on X,

“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. Thanks, Val. 🙏☮️”

Ron Howard

Kilmer worked in the Ron Howard-directed Willow and The Missing while also appearing in his executive-produced Tombstone. Penning down a tribute, the two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker expressed his gratitude for collaborating with Val on all three projects. He further wrote,

“I list these titles because even my own personal creative experiences reflect his awesome range as an actor. Check out his filmography. Amazing. His art extended to his poetry, artworks, filmmaking and simply the way he lived. Bon Voyage, Val And thank you.”

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Michael Mann

Michael Mann’s Heat gave Val Kilmer an opportunity to portray the role of Chris Shiherlis, an associate to Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley. After Val’s recent death, Mann issued an official statement noting his acting prowess,

“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. After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.”

Josh Gad

The Strays voice actor uploaded a photograph of Kilmer from Top Gun and captioned his post thanking the late Hollywood star,

“RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood. You truly were an icon.”

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Dylan Park-Pettiford

Writer-director Dylan Park-Pettiford also paid tribute to the Batman Forever star in a recent X post,

“Listen, Val Kilmer had me wanting to fly fighter jets, be Batman, rob banks, and hunt lions as a kid. They don’t make too many movie stars like him anymore. Generational.”

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Cher

The Oscar and Grammy-winning actress-singer remembered “great friend” and former lover in an X post,

“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”

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Slash and Jason Momoa

The British-American musician Saul “Slash” Hudson shared a picture of Val Kilmer from Tombstone and wrote,

“RIP #ValKilmer”

The Minecraft star, Jason Momoa, reshared the post via Instagram Stories and posted the Folded Hands emojis.