Top Gun star Tom Skerritt dead at 93

Tom Skerritt has died. He was 93.

The Emmy-winning film and TV star died on Wednesday, his family confirmed in a statement to media.

"Our family is deeply saddened to share that Tom Skerritt passed away on 21 October 2026, from natural causes. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. We are heartbroken by his loss.

"While the world knew Tom through his remarkable acting career, we knew him for his humour, curiosity, wisdom, generosity and the love he brought into our lives," the statement continued.

His family also remembered his passion for "imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world, and helping others find and share their own voices".

"We are incredibly grateful for the love and support being shown by his friends, colleagues, and fans," the statement concluded.

Skerritt was discovered performing in a UCLA production of The Rainmaker, and made his film debut in 1962's War Hunt, alongside Robert Redford and Sydney Pollack.

Mentored by director Robert Altman, he was cast in his breakthrough role in the 1970 film M*A*S*H, which spawned the eponymous TV series in 1972.

In 1986 he played Commander Mike 'Viper' Metcalf in Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis and Val Kilmer.

"Everybody was having a good time on this. We all knew, or maybe I just sensed it, that this was going to be a very successful film," Skerritt told Fox News Digital in 2022.

Other roles in Steel Magnolias with Dolly Parton and A River Runs Through It with Robert Redford followed.

For many, Skerritt's most memorable performance was as a small-town sheriff on the hit TV series Picket Fences, which earned him an Emmy Award in 1993.