Nicolas Cage, Cher and more remember Val Kilmer
The Hollywood community is remembering actor, producer, director and friend Val Kilmer, who died Tuesday at the age of 65, according to a report from The Associated Press.
Nicolas Cage, who starred alongside Kilmer in 2009's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," shared a statement with "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, paying tribute to his former co-star.
"I always liked Val and am sad to hear of his passing. I thought he was a genius actor," Cage said.
"I enjoyed working with him on 'Bad Lieutenant' and I admired his commitment and sense of humor. He should have won the Oscar for the Doors," he continued, citing the 1991 film about the famed rock band The Doors, in which Kilmer starred as lead singer Jim Morrison.
Several other celebrities paid tribute to Kilmer on social media.
"VALUS Will miss u," actress and hitmaker Cher wrote in a Wednesday morning post on X. "U Were Funny, crazy, pain in the a--, GREAT FRIEND, kids💜U, BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness."
Cher and Kilmer were romantically involved in the 1980s and remained friends after their relationship ended.
Actor Josh Brolin wrote that he would miss his "firecracker" friend in an Instagram post featuring a photo of the pair smiling widely for the camera.
"See ya, pal. I'm going to miss you," Brolin wrote. "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. ❤️💔❤️💔❤️💔💎 #valkilmer #marktwain."
Josh Gad called Kilmer one of his childhood inspirations in an Instagram tribute.
"RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood," wrote Gad. "You truly were an icon. #valkilmer."
Matthew Modine, one of Kilmer's peers, credited Kilmer for one of the biggest roles early in his career in an X post.
"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. 🙏☮️," Modine wrote.
Other stars who paid tribute to Kilmer included filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, who worked with the late actor on the 2011 film "Twixt."
"Val Kilmer was the most talented actor when in his High School, and that talent only grew greater throughout his life," Coppola wrote in the caption of an Instagram post. "He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know -- I will always remember him."
Kilmer's "Prince of Egypt" co-star Ralph Fiennes also took to X to remember him.
"Val Kilmer rest in peace," Fiennes wrote alongside a photo of each of them with the characters they voiced in the 1998 film.
Following a blockbuster career in the 1980s and 1990s, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015 and lost his voice after undergoing a tracheotomy. He shared an inside look at his work and life in the 2021 documentary "Val," which features footage he recorded himself from his childhood, during his Hollywood career and at home with his family.
Kilmer was previously married to actress Joanne Whalley from 1988 until their divorce in 1996. The former couple shared daughter Mercedes Kilmer and son Jack Kilmer.
