The late Hollywood star Val Kilmer spent the last years of his life confined to his bed as a result of ailing health, according to a new report.
The “Top Gun” actor’s body never fully recovered from his treatment for throat cancer, according to the latest heartbreaking details on his death at age 65.
As reported by TMZ, the health battle left him stuck in bed for “years” long before his Tuesday death from pneumonia.
While the cancer went away, Kilmer’s body eventually “shut down,” the report said.
The outlet notes that his health “seriously declined” in the last week of his life.
A video shared on Kilmer’s Instagram in February was actually filmed years ago, the outlet noted.
The clip shows Kilmer, the star of “Batman Forever,” wearing a Batman mask.
Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014.
He was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment that he would later say caused more suffering than the disease itself.
The actor all but lost the use of his voice after a tracheotomy.
The procedure creates an opening in the neck for breathing.
After the tracheotomy, Kilmer could no longer speak properly.
“I can’t speak without plugging this hole,” he said in his 2021 documentary “Val,” produced by his kids Mercedes and Jack.
“You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat,” Kilmer, who used a feeding tube, added.
“It’s an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me.”
He continued, “I’m still recovering, and it is difficult to talk and to be understood.
“But I want to tell my story more than ever.”
The actor was celebrated for his range, first becoming known as Tom Cruise’s rival Iceman in the original “Top Gun.”
Kilmer went on to win critical acclaim as Jim Morrison in “The Doors” and Doc Holliday in the Western movie “Tombstone.”
He reprised his “Top Gun” role with a short cameo appearance in 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick.”
However, the movie’s producers needed to use artificial intelligence to digitally recreate Kilmer’s voice for the role.
It proved to be his last movie.
Considered by many an underrated actor, Kilmer was never nominated for an Oscar or Emmy.
The handsome, charismatic star dated glamorous women like Cindy Crawford.
“Once Cher works her way inside your head and heart, she never leaves,” Kilmer wrote in his memoir, “I’m Your Huckleberry.”
“For her true friends, her steadfast love and loyalty never die.”
Kilmer’s death led to an outpouring of tributes from friends and colleagues in the movie industry.
“See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you,” his friend, actor Josh Brolin, wrote.
“You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker.
“There’s not a lot left of those.
“I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there.
“Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”
Kilmer is survived by his two children, Mercedes and Jack, from his marriage to ex-wife Joanne Whalley.
