What did Val Kilmer say about Lou Reed? Late actor’s hilarious tweet about singer resurfaces online 

Val Kilmer passed away on April 1, 2025. With his passing, some of his old social media posts have resurfaced, which included a hilarious story he told of a strange encounter with Lou Reed.

Kilmer, who starred in Top Gun, Batman Forever, and The Doors, often shared stories about his encounters with celebrities through his online posts. One such story is when he shared details about a memorable dinner party where he tickled The Velvet Underground frontman, Lou Reed, which he later said he regretted.

The incident occurred during a dinner. The actor recalled on Facebook that Reed was especially moody that evening. Out of nowhere, Kilmer decided to tickle Reed under his arm, to which he was given an icy look.

Lou Reed, with a reputation for being tough as nails, did not appreciate the uninvited interaction. Remembering their awkward interaction, Kilmer wrote on Twitter:

"He leaned into me and whispered in his toughest Brooklyn accent, 'I know martial arts…'"

According to a report by Distractify, Val Kilmer also expanded on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing that Reed had a very troubled and difficult relationship with his father.

"His dad was just super dark and negative to Lou and always told him he was worthless."

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A look into Lou Reed’s career after leaving The Velvet Underground

After departing from The Velvet Underground, Reed began his own musical career that fused together elements of rock, poetry, and experimental sounds. With David Bowie producing, his 1973 hit “Walk on the Wild Side” became his best-known song.

According to Britannica, he also pushed creative boundaries further with Berlin (1973), a dark, orchestrated concept album, and Metal Machine Music (1975), an avant-garde noise experiment. Reed worked with several artists, including his former Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale, on Songs for Drella (1990), which was a tribute to Andy Warhol.

He also collaborated with Metallica on Lulu (2011), an album derived from the work of the German playwright Frank Wedekind. Outside music, Reed published Lou Reed’s New York (2006), a photographic book, and ventured into theater with the Edgar Allan Poe-inspired The Raven (2003).

For his contributions, Reed was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, first with The Velvet Underground in 1996 and later as a solo artist in 2015. Lou Reed died on October 27, 2013, in Springs, New York, due to complications of liver disease after a liver transplant.