Entertainment
Legendary actor Val Kilmer dies at 65
Prolific American actor Val Kilmer, who was propelled to fame with “Top Gun” and went on to starring roles as Batman and Jim Morrison, has died at age 65, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The cause of death was pneumonia, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer told the Times. He had battled throat cancer following a 2014 diagnosis, but later recovered, she said.
AFP has reached out to his representatives for comment.
Originally a stage actor, Kilmer burst onto the big screen full of charisma, cast as a rock star in Cold War spoof “Top Secret!” in 1984.
Two years later, he gained fame as the cocky, if mostly silent fighter pilot in training Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in box office smash hit “Top Gun,” playing a rival to Tom Cruise’s “Maverick.”
A versatile character actor whose career spanned decades, Kilmer toggled between blockbusters and smaller-budget independent films. He got a shot at leading man status in Oliver Stone’s “The Doors,” depicting Jim Morrison’s journey from a psychedelics-loving LA film student to 60s rock frontman.
After a cameo in Quentin Tarantino-written “True Romance,” Kilmer went on to star alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in “Heat” and took a turn as the masked Gotham vigilante in “Batman Forever,” between the Bruce Wayne portrayals by Michael Keaton and George Clooney.
A 1996 Entertainment Weekly cover story dubbed Kilmer “The Man Hollywood Loves to Hate,” depicting him as a sometimes surly eccentric with exasperating work habits.
A New York Times interviewer in 2002 said Kilmer “hardly lives up to that reputation” and found the actor instead “friendly, buoyant and so open that he often volunteers personal details about his life and is quick to laugh at himself.”
“You have to learn to speak Val,” director D. J. Caruso told the newspaper.– ‘ Magical life’ –Born Val Edward Kilmer on New Year’s Eve 1959, he began acting in commercials as a child.
Kilmer was the youngest person ever accepted to the drama department at New York’s fabled Juilliard school, and made his Broadway debut in 1983 alongside Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon.
In Hollywood, the Los Angeles native longed to make serious films but found himself in a series of schlocky blockbusters and expensive flops in the early 2000s.
Chastened by a decade or more of low-budget movies, he was mounting a comeback in the 2010s with a successful stage show about Mark Twain that he hoped to turn into a film when he was struck by cancer.
“Val,” an intimate documentary about Kilmer’s stratospheric rise and later fall in Hollywood, premiered at the Cannes film Festival in 2021 and showed him struggling for air after a tracheotomy.
Kilmer “has the aura of a man who was dealt his cosmic comeuppance and came through it,” US publication Variety wrote of the film.
“He fell from stardom, maybe from grace, but he did it his way.”When he reprised his role as “Iceman” in the long-awaited sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kilmer’s real-life health issues,and rasp of voice,were written into the character.“
Instead of treating Kilmer — and, indeed, the entire notion of Top Gun — as a throwaway nostalgia object, he’s given a celluloid swan song that’ll stand the test of time,” GQ wrote.
On his website, Kilmer said he had led a “magical life.”
“For more than half a century, I have been honing my art, no matter the medium. Be it literature, movies, poetry, painting, music, or tracking exotic and beautiful wildlife,” he wrote.
According to the Times, he is survived by two children, Mercedes and Jack Kilmer.
AFP
Entertainment
Bauchi Hisbah prohibits DJs, women from attending male social gatherings
“The Fulani traditional activity known as Sharo or Shadi and Garaya is prohibited. Cultural traditional activities known as Kauyawa day, DJ, Gala, Aloba, etc, are prohibited.”
• Islamic police/ Fb
The Hisbah Command of the Bauchi State Shariah Commission has issued strict guidelines regulating social gatherings in the state, further ordering adherence to the guidelines.
In a statement issued by the Permanent Commissioner Hisbah, Barrister Aminu Balarabe Isah, dated July 16, 2025, and titled “Guidelines Governing the Conduct of Marriage Ceremonies and other Festivals in Bauchi State”, the command said that there have been complaints from the general public on the increase of social vices and the breach of public peace during marriage ceremonies and birthdays.
Hisbah prohibits DJ, women from attending male social gatherings in Bauchi By : Rauf Oyewole, Bauchi Date: 27 Aug 2025Share :Hisbah[FILES] HisbahThe Hisbah Command of the Bauchi State Sharia’h Commission has issued strict guidelines regulating social gatherings in the state, further ordering adherence to the guidelines.In a statement issued by the Permanent Commissioner Hisbah, Barrister Aminu Balarabe Isah, dated July 16, 2025, and titled “Guidelines Governing the Conduct of Marriage Ceremonies and other Festivals in Bauchi State”, the command said that there have been complaints from the general public on the increase of social vices and the breach of public peace during marriage ceremonies and birthdays.
The statement said that Hisbah Command “is left with no option but to set the following guidelines: Mixing up the opposite sex is highly prohibited.
Dancing with the opposite sex amidst infants and children is highly prohibited.“Buying and selling of toxicants of any kind and their consumption are highly prohibited.
A person in possession of weapon(s) (of any nature) should not be granted entrance.“Seating arrangement has to be in accordance with gender considerations.
Any act capable of inciting the general public is prohibited.
“All activities must be suspended during the stipulated prayer times.
Traditional dressing code should be adhered to. Using blasphemy or abusive language against an individual or constituted authority is prohibited.
“All activities organised by females should only be patronised by females and vice versa.
“The Fulani traditional activity known as Sharo or Shadi and Garaya is prohibited. Cultural traditional activities known as Kauyawa day, DJ, Gala, Aloba, etc, are prohibited.”
The command also prohibited gambling of any nature, saying prostitution in all its ramifications and other immoral acts are equally prohibited in all centres, clubs, hotels, houses and recreational centres.
Entertainment
Tiwa Savage’s launching ‘This One Is Personal’ new album
Savage, who has stayed away from releasing a full studio album since 2020, said the project reflects her personal journey over the past five years, balancing career transitions, motherhood, and self-discovery.
•Tiwa Savage
Nigerian music superstar, Tiwa Savage, is set to launch her new album, ‘This One Is Personal’, on August 29.
Savage disclosed on her X account that the 13-track album explores the themes of pain, growth, and resilience, with a deeply intimate Afrobeats sound.
This One Is Personal’ marks her first full-length project since 2020’s Celia, ending a five-year break from major releases.
Recorded across Nashville, London, and Lagos, the project features minimal collaborations, including UK rapper Skepta and rising star Taves.
“This album is my story, so I kept the features limited.“I wanted you all to feel me in every song. The few features I chose were very intentional, with people who understood the vision and could add to the message without taking away from its intimacy. It’s less about numbers and more about connection,” Savage shared in a fan Q&A on X.
Savage, who has stayed away from releasing a full studio album since 2020, said the project reflects her personal journey over the past five years, balancing career transitions, motherhood, and self-discovery.
The young lady who was flunged into the Lagos Lagoon after the fatal accident that occurred on 3rd Mainland Bridge on Sunday night has been buried according to Islamic right.
Ohibaba.com recalls that some fans of Nigerian singer, Seyi Vibez reportedly lost their lives in the fatal accident.
The victims were said to have passed away while returning from the Seyi Vibez concert on Saturday night at Lagos Island.
Sharing the devastating news, an eyewitness, @alli_ya7 posted the video of the incident on X.
While advising the public against reckless driving, she revealed that the victims had engaged in a car race on expressway.
She wrote: “They left the show and started racing on the express, trying to overtake other cars.
Why race on the highway? May their souls rest in peace. SPEED KILLS.
”The fatal incident, which involved more than four vehicles, sparked outrage and grief online.
Meanwhile, five others who died in the crashes were laid to rest at Marikaz Cemetery, Agege, on Monday morning.
Watch the video below:
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