‘Heartbroken’ Tom Cruise can’t come to terms with Val Kilmer's death, planning to set up scholarship in his name
According to reports, Tom Cruise plans to honour his late Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer by setting up a scholarship in his name.
Actor Val Kilmer died of pneumonia on April 1, 2025. His Top Gun co-star, actor Tom Cruise, who shared a close bond with him, paid tribute during his appearance at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Now, according to a report in InTouch Weekly, Tom is shaken by Val's death and is planning to honour his memory. (Also Read: When Times Square had to be shut down to shoot this Tom Cruise film, cost the makers over $1 million)
Tom Cruise his heartbroken after Val Kilmer's death
An insider told the outlet, “Tom has been very shaken up. He admired Val so much — he’s really feeling this loss. He can’t wrap his head around the idea that Val is gone and is heartbroken that he won’t get to see him again.”
The insider further added that after holding a moment of silence at CinemaCon for his late friend, Tom is now planning a more lasting tribute. “The loss has held a mirror up to Tom in terms of his own mortality, but more than anything, he’s sad for Val’s children. He knows this has hit them very hard. Tom is all about taking action and has decided that the best way to honour Val is to set up a scholarship in his name to help young artists and ensure Val is never forgotten. Tom doesn’t want to overstep, so he’s put the offer to Val’s family so that they can have their say in it all,” the insider said.
The source also noted that Tom doesn’t want any personal recognition from the gesture and will remain anonymous. He is also planning to reach out to the Academy to ensure Val is included in the In Memoriam tribute at next year’s Oscars.
Val and Tom shared a memorable on-screen rivalry in the 1986 original Top Gun. They reunited in 2022 for Top Gun: Maverick, which was also Val’s final on-screen appearance. On April 1 , Val’s daughter Mercedes Kilmer revealed to The New York Times that he died of pneumonia after battling throat cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2014 and later recovered from.
Tom Cruise's tribute for Val Kilmer
On April 3, before debuting new footage from Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning at CinemaCon 2025, Tom paused to lead the audience in a moment of silence for his “dear friend” Val. He said: “I can't tell you how much I admired his work and him as a human being — how grateful and honoured I was that he joined Top Gun and came back for Top Gun: Maverick. I think it would be really nice if we could all take a moment together, because he loved movies and gave so much to all of us through his performances and his films.”
About Mission Impossible-The Final Reckoning
Helmed by Christopher McQuarrie, the action spy film is the eighth instalment in the Mission: Impossible film series. The film, which also stars Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett, is set to release in theatres in India on May 17.
