Veteran Hollywood actor Val Kilmer has died, his family has announced.
Kilmer, who was best known for major movies such as 1986โs โTop Gunโ and 1995โs โBatman Forever,โ was 65 when he died on Tuesday.
Mercedes Kilmer, the actorโs daughter, toldย The New York Timesย he died of pneumonia on Tuesday, April 1.
Kilmerโs death comes after the film star endured a long battle with cancer.
He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014.
However, he later recovered, his daughter noted.
Kilmer made his final appearance on film in 2022โs โTop Gun: Maverick,โ a sequel to the 1986 classic.
His vocal cords were damaged after a tracheotomy in 2014, leaving him unable to speak properly.
For Kilmerโs character reprise in โTop Gun 2,โ the producers needed to digitally recreate his voice using artificial intelligence technology.
Kilmer briefly appeared in the film, sharing a poignant moment with Tom Cruiseย onscreen.
โI just want to say that was pretty emotional,โ Cruiseย told Jimmy Kimmel about acting alongside his friend again.
โIโve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that characterโฆ heโs such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again.โ
After years of rumored health problems, Kilmer finally opened up about hisย battle with throat cancerย during a December 2017 interview withย The Hollywood Reporter.
The article revealed that the actorโs two-year fight with throat cancer had โtaken its tollโ on the family.
It noted that Kilmer had undergone a procedure on his trachea, which made his voice raspy and left him short of breath.
His health issues first became apparent in January 2015, when a spokesperson told PEOPLE that Kilmer was rushed to the hospital โfor a possible tumor.โ
Soon after, he took to Facebook to deny having a tumor, saying only that he โhad a complication.โ
Further rumors were repeatedly shut down by Kilmer, who was spotted out with a tracheostomy tube in October 2015 and then without it the next February.
โI have not had a tumor, or a tumor operations, or any operation I had a complication where the best way to receive care was to stay under the watchful eye of the UCLA ICU,โ he later said in a Facebook post.
โI am praying for a speedy return to the boards as they say.
โGod bless you all and please donโt worry.โ
In October of that year, the actor had to once again reassure fans that he was okay, denying a report that he had been rushed to the hospital.
In a Facebook statement, the actor revealed that he had gone to the hospital just to โverify I have no tumor or infection of any kind which was verified by the very caring experts at UCLA.โ
However, less than two months after declaring he was healthy, Kilmer was spotted out with what appeared to be a tracheostomy tube.
Though he was then spotted again in February 2016 without it, the scar from the breathing aid was visible on the actorโs throat.
In 2021,ย Kilmer shared his story for the documentary โVal,โ directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo.
Kilmer produced the film with Mercedes and his son Jack.
It focused on his difficult recovery process and received a standing ovation when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
โHeโs such a layered person, thereโs the childlike playfulness, but then thereโs also the deep wisdom of somebody whoโs been on a spiritual path their whole life at the same time,โ Mercedes said of her father in 2021.
โHeโs a lot of opposites that make him incredibly interesting, and itโs kind of why our film is so interesting.โ
Kilmer was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1959 to parents Eugene and Gladys, though they later divorced.
Tragedy struck the Kilmer family in 1977 when Kilmerโs younger brother Wesley drowned at the young age of 15.
โHe was a genius,โ Kilmerย told The New York Timesย in 2002.
Kilmer praised his brother as an aspiring filmmaker, calling him so talented that he could have been another Steven Spielberg or George Lucas.
Shortly after his brotherโs death, Kilmer became the youngest person at the time to be accepted into the famed Juilliard Schoolโs Drama Group.
This became the start of his acting career.
โI had a unique experience because I just lost my little brother a week before I started school,โ Kilmer said in a talk at Juilliard in 2005.
โSo it was quite an emotional time for me, and in a way, the extremely high standards and the activity of the School, Iโm sure were good for me because I was forced to really challenge myself about my very life, you knowโwhat I believe about life and death.
โFor me, it was a great way to progress out of that difficult time, to be thrown into such a great school.โ
Though Kilmer had a few roles on Broadway, his big-screen break came in the 1984 movie โTop Secret!โ
The movie was a parody of spy films in the Cold War era and the musicals Elvis Presley used to star in.
Kilmer plays an American rockstar who travels to East Germany and gets caught in the fight and resistance towards reunification.
The actor did his own singing and dancing in the film.
Kilmerโs superstar-making moment came in โTop Gun,โย where he starred as a naval aviator Lt. Tom โIcemanโ Kazanski alongside Cruise.
โIt was fun,โ Kilmer told Larry King in 2013 about working with Cruise and filming the movie.
โMy guy didnโt like him, but it was fun to not like him.โ
After gaining critical acclaim for his supporting role in โTop Gun,โ the actor achieved starring success by helming Oliver Stoneโs 1991 movie, โThe Doors.โ
Kilmer starred as The Doors frontman Jim Morrison alongside Meg Ryan.
He committed fully to the role of the late, troubled rocker by memorizing all his songs and even dressing like him.
In 1988, Kilmer married actress Joanne Whalley after they met while working together on the movie โWillow.โ
The couple had two children โ Mercedes in 1991 and Jack in 1995 โ before divorcing in 1996.
The late actor worked steadily throughout his career, starring in a one-man play titled โMark Twain: Citizen Twainโ in 2016 and turning to art late in his life.
Hisย final Facebook post, published on March 22, featured his latest painting.
Kilmer is survived by his daughter Mercedes and son Jack.
READ MORE โ Chinaโs Beloved โMillennium Babyโ Qianqian Dies Suddenly of Cardiac Arrest at 25
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.
Recommended