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As we previously reported, screen icon Val Kilmer has passed away.
The beloved star of modern classics like Top Gun, Tombstone, The Doors, and Heat was 65 years old.
He had been battling throat cancer for several years.
Few actors enjoyed as much cross-generational appeal as Kilmer, and he’d been a beloved figure among his Hollywood peers for over 40 years.
Now, as a final reminder of how highly his colleagues regarded him, numerous big-name celebs have taken to social media to pay tribute to this late legend.
“See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you,” Josh Brolin wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of him and Val.
“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. I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”
“While working with Val on Heat I always marveled 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,” director Michael Mann told USA Today.
“His rendition of Doc Holliday in Tombstone was what every actor dreams of achieving. So many wonderful performances. Sad to lose him so soon. RIP Val Kilmer,” actor James Woods tweeted.
“Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood,” wrote Wicked star Josh Gad.
“Val Kilmer should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Tombstone and for Heat. He was a brilliant presence in some of the most enduring films of his generation,” famed film critic Richard Roeper wrote, adding:
“Rest well. Thank you for the incredible work.”
Actress Jennifer Tilly shared a lengthy tale that served as a testament to Kilmer’s enduring coolness:
“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,” she tweeted, adding:
“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.”
It was just one of many astonishing roles in the career of Val Kilmer.
We’d like to add our voice to the chorus of those paying tribute to this incredible talent.