Val Kilmer’s family has broken their silence following his death Tuesday at the age of 65.
“Thank you for honoring our extraordinary father’s memory,” the Top Gun star’s family, which includes daughter Mercedes, 33, and son, Jack, 29, said in a statement to PEOPLE Thursday.
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“We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated. At this time, we would like to grieve privately,” their statement continued.
Kilmer’s daughter previously confirmed to The New York Times that the Batman Forever star had died due to pneumonia. Kilmer had also previously been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered.
Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have been paying tribute to Kilmer following his death, including his Top Gun co-star Tom Cruise. Cruise paid tribute to his longtime friend during an appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday.
“I really can’t tell you how much I admired his work, how much I thought of him as a human, and how grateful and honored I was when he joined first Top Gun and came back for Top Gun: Maverick,” the actor told the crowd. “He gave a lot to all of us with his performances.”
Cruise then asked the audience to join him in a moment of silence. “If we just all take a moment to remember the wonderful time we had with him — let’s just take a moment,” he said, before ultimately concluding, “I wish you well on your next journey.”
Cher also made sure to honor her longtime friend and former boyfriend, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “Will miss u, U Were Funny, crazy, pain in the ass, GREAT FRIEND, kids U, BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness.”
Josh Brolin was another star to reflect on his friendship with Kilmer on Instagram, writing “See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker.” He continued, “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.”
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