Val Kilmer was “the coolest cat,” remembers his Top Gun co-star Barry Tubb. In the 1986 hit that made Kilmer a star, Tubb played Wolfman, the wingman to Kilmer’s Iceman, and Tubb spoke to BBC News following Kilmer’s death this week aged 65.

Top Gun was a breakthrough for Kilmer, who played Iceman, the rival to Cruise's hotshot Maverick at the US Navy's academy for elite fighter pilots. On screen, saving the USA from Soviet MiG jets was serious business. Off screen, filming in California and Nevada, things were less serious.

In “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kazansky — who had risen to the rank of admiral — was dying of throat cancer and unable to speak, but wanted to talk with Maverick one final time. During the emotional reunion that took place in a home office, Kazansky gave Maverick the advice, “It’s time to let go.”