Michelle Pfeiffer pays emotional tribute to Val Kilmer after 'intimate' relationship
Val Kilmer's daughter, Mercedes, confirmed the news of his death and close friends and fans immediately took to social media to pen emotional tributes to the star
Michelle Pfeiffer has paid tribute to late actor, Val Kilmer, after he died aged 65 following a bout of pneumonia. Val's daughter, Mercedes, confirmed the news to the NY Times and close friends and fans immediately took to social media to pen emotional tributes to the star.
Val had recovered from a throat cancer diagnosis in 2014. A year later, he had to be rushed to UCLA Medical Center in 2015 to treat severe bleeding in his throat. The tumour was the result of oral cancer. Kilmer was well known for his impressive role as Iceman in the 1986 hit movie Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise.
He also starred in Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever (1995, while also famously playing musician Jim Morrison in the 1991 film The Doors.
Val's first screen role was opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in an ABC Afterschool Special. He played her character's boyfriend, who drives drunk to devastating results. It was an educational drama on drinking and driving.
Paying tribute to her co-star, she took to her Instagram Stories to share a black-and-white still from the special. In the picture, a young Michelle smiled at Val as she placed her arm around his shoulder.
"Rest in piece, Val," she wrote along with a heartbroken emoji. Michelle and Val became pals after starring in the special together. He previously said he always felt comfortable talking to Michelle and opened up to her about his family.
Michelle also confided in him about her rocky marriage to Peter Horton, who she soon divorced. Val wrote in his book that he and Michelle shared a special bond.
"The secret pain that Michelle and I shared created an intimacy between us," he said. Val said he loved her but always had an "all consuming crush" on her younger sister, Lori.
Lori "did not seem to reciprocate, even a little. In fact, she seemed to not even know I existed." It was rumoured he and Michelle briefly dated in the 80s.
Despite his ill health over the years, Kilmer continued to act until 2022. It was then that he reprised his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick.
Two years earlier he had took on a lead role in 2020 crime thriller film Paydirt among other later roles.
Kilmer is survived by his two children; Jack and Mercedes. He previously worked with his daughter in Paydirt in his final acting years.
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