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Val Kilmer Death: Actor Exchanged a STRANGE Gift with Tombstone Co-Star Kurt Russell; Here's What They Traded
Kurt Russell shared the unusual gifts he and Val Kilmer exchanged after filming Tombstone, revealing a surprising and darkly funny twist to their friendship.
Trigger Warning: This article contains references to an individual's death.
In a January 2024 interview with GQ, actor Kurt Russell opened up about a dark but humorous gift exchange he had with Val Kilmer after filming the 1993 Western Tombstone. Russell played legendary lawman Wyatt Earp, while Kilmer portrayed the gunslinger Doc Holliday. The two actors had a close bond and exchanged unique gifts as a sign of appreciation.
Russell mentioned that giving gifts after filming wasn’t mandatory but was sometimes done as a friendly gesture. He said that working with Val Kilmer, who played Doc Holliday in Tombstone, was absolutely great.
He added, “In those days, especially when you were working with people, sometimes at the end of the show you’d get them gifts or trade gifts.”
Kurt Russell revealed that he had arranged for Val Kilmer to receive a burial plot at Boothill Graveyard in Tombstone, Arizona. The cemetery is known for being the final resting place of many famous figures of the Old West. “I give Val this present and he looks at me and he turns to his driver and he says, ‘Give it to me,’” Russell told GQ.
The actor said he wanted the gift to be meaningful since Kilmer’s Tombstone character, Doc Holliday, was closely associated with death. Russell laughed as he noted that while Doc Holliday was all about death, Wyatt Earp was all about life, adding that this contrast summed it up perfectly.
Unbeknownst to Russell, Kilmer had also prepared a gift for him. The late actor, who died on April 1, 2025, at the age of 65, had purchased an acre of land for Russell overlooking Boothill Graveyard. “What Val had gotten me was an acre of land overlooking Boothill,” Russell said.
The exchange reflected the contrast between their characters in Tombstone. While Doc Holliday was a gambler and gunslinger facing his mortality, Wyatt Earp was known for seeking justice and survival.
Kilmer, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later recovered, passed away from pneumonia, his daughter Mercedes confirmed to The New York Times. His portrayal of Doc Holliday remains one of the most iconic performances in Western film history.
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