NEWSVal Kilmer Was Given a Burial Plot as Wrap Gift From 'Tombstone' Costar Kurt Russell Decades Before Late Actor's Death at 65
Val Kilmer died on Tuesday, April 1, at age 65.
Kurt Russell had a rather morbid wrap gift for Val Kilmer after they finished filming Tombstone — though it was fitting for the 1993 western classic.
In an interview that resurfaced following news of Kilmer's devastating death at age 65 on Tuesday, April 1, Russell, 74, revealed the funny-yet-thoughtful presents he and his costar gave one another as a congratulatory gesture more than 30 years ago.
The late actor died of pneumonia.
"When you’re working with people, you’d get them, sometimes at the end of the show, you get them trade gifts," Russell explained while speaking with GQ last year, calling the common Hollywood protocol a "mandatory" act of kindness for stars to do.
Russell had starred as gunslinger Wyatt Earp in the hit film alongside his character's best friend Doc Holliday, portrayed by Kilmer.
Kurt Russell gifted Val Kilmer a burial plot decades before his passing.
The Thing actor admitted he gifted Kilmer a burial plot in Boot Hill Graveyard, which is the historic cemetery in Tombstone, Ariz., where some of the Old West's most famous names have been laid to rest.
Unbeknownst to Russell, Kilmer had prepared a similar present for the Escape From New York actor.
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"What Val had gotten me was an acre of land overlooking Boot Hill," Russell shared, noting how both gifts were super symbolic of their character's personalities.
"Doc Holliday was all about death, but Wyatt’s all about life," he pointed out. "I guess that pretty much says it all."
Val Kilmer starred alongside Kurt Russell in the 1993 film 'Tombstone.'
Russell's interview resurfaced amid news Kilmer sadly passed away from pneumonia.
Val's daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, 33, was the one to confirm her late father had died while surrounded by family and friends in Los Angeles, Calif., more than 10 years after he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, as OK! previously reported.
The Heat star had recovered from his cancer battle after undergoing two tracheotomies.
Val — who also shared his son, Jack, 29, with ex-wife Joanne Whalley — was best known for his fan-favorite role as Iceman in Top Gun, as well as his portrayal of Batman in Batman Forever and Jim Morrison in The Doors.
Val Kilmer had recovered from throat cancer after being diagnosed in 2014.
His final film appearance occurred in the 2022 hit Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel to the 1986 movie featuring Tom Cruise.
The dad-of-two had tied the knot with Joanne in 1988, though the duo split in 1995 after the Willow actress filed for divorce from Val due to irreconcilable differences. Their separation was settled the following year.
Val never remarried in the decades between his divorce and recent death.
