Tom Cruise has paid tribute to his late Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer, honouring his “dear friend” and wishing him “well on the next journey”.

Speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas, Cruise asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star.

Kilmer rose to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 hit Top Gun, playing Iceman, a rival pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick, and his final acting role was a cameo in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Variety reported that Cruise spoke from a stage at Caesars Palace and said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.

“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.

“I wish you well on the next journey.”

Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia aged 65.

He had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, discussing his diagnosis and recovery in his 2020 memoir I’m Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.

Tom Cruise (Daniel Leal/PA)
He underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as a tracheostomy, which damaged his vocal cords.

Kilmer was also known for playing Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever and starred in a number of westerns including 1989 film Billy The Kid and 1992’s Thunderheart.

The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.

In 1998 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on 1988 fantasy adventure Willow.

The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.