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Legendary actor Val Kilmer dies at 65

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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

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Burna Boy Sets Record As African Artiste To Top Billboard Global 200 Chart

The song is currently number one on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global 200 Exclusive U.S

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Popular Nigerian Afrobeats singer, Damini Ogulu, better known as Burna Boy, has made history as the first African artiste to top the Billboard Global 200 Songs chart.

The Grammy-multiple-award-winning singer achieved the feat after his collaborative World Cup song with Shakira, ‘Dai Dai’, peaked at number one on this chart this week.

The song is currently number one on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global 200 Exclusive U.S.

The song also moved up twelve places this week to reach a new peak of 55 on the Billboard U.S.Hot 100 chart .

(New Telegraph)

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Nollywood star Ricardo Agbor “I waited 18 years before I had twins”

Speaking about the couple’s struggle with childlessness, the actor said that he specifically prayed for twins and refused to give up despite waiting for 18 years.

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Veteran Nollywood actor, Ricardo Agbor, has opened up about his 18-year journey to parenthood, revealing that he and his wife waited nearly two decades before they had twins.

The actor disclosed this during an interview with AfricanAList, where he reflected on his marriage, faith and the challenges he faced before he became a father.

Agbor said that he remained committed to his wife throughout the period, despite the long wait for children.

“I wanted to get married to a particular lady; I married her regardless of where she is from. She is not from my tribe. So ordinarily, we were supposed to have strife; no, it was very fair,” he said.

Speaking about the couple’s struggle with childlessness, the actor said that he specifically prayed for twins and refused to give up despite waiting for 18 years.

“It took 18 years for me to have the twins. And I waited. God knows, 18 years and they are 14 now, so I told God I wanted twins.

” So while that wait was on, if it were someone else, he would cross. But at the end of the day, I have twins. I have a boy and a girl. I asked God what I wanted,” he added.

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Okonjo-Iweala Showcases Dance Skills As Igbo Masquerades Perform At WTO Open Day Ceremony

WTO Open Day was observed on Sunday 5 July 2026, to mark the 100th anniversary of the WTO’s headquarters (Centre William Rappard). 

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The World Trade Organisation’s annual Open Day ceremony was fun as cultures collided, but one performance stole the entire afternoon.

WTO Open Day 2026 was observed on Sunday 5 July 2026, to mark the 100th anniversary of the WTO’s headquarters (Centre William Rappard). 

The crowd of international delegates, ambassadors, witnessed the rhythmic and unmistakable sound of the Ogene- a metal gong paired with the deep rattle of the Ichaka.

In a viral video, an Adamma masquerade, adorned in elaborate woven raffia and a beautifully carved maiden mask, strode into the centre of the square and moved with intricate footwork, stamping its feet to the escalating tempo of the drums, bringing the raw spirit of southeastern Nigeria straight into the heart of global governance.

Standing near the front of the pavilion was the WTO Director-General herself, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

True to her signature style, she wore a striking, impeccably tied gele paired with a silky gown.‎

As the masquerade swirled, its handlers gestured respectfully toward the Director-General, inviting her into the sacred circle. In Igbo tradition, a masquerade interacting with a leader is a sign of immense honour and spiritual blessing.

‎Dr. Okonjo-Iweala didn’t hesitate as she stepped forward into the open square. The crowd erupted in cheers as the DG immediately caught the rhythm. She matched the masquerade’s energy, rolling her shoulders and executing graceful, rhythmic steps that perfectly mirrored the cadence of the Ogene.

For a few beautiful minutes, the weight of global trade policies vanished, replaced by the universal language of dance.

The masquerade bowed low, spinning one last time in a flurry of colour before Dr Okonjo-Iweala waved gracefully back, her face lit with a broad smile. It was the perfect embodiment of the Open Day’s true purpose: breaking down institutional walls and proving that even in the world’s most serious rooms, cultural pride and joy have a vital seat at the table.

(Credit: Leadership)

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