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American actor Val Kilmer has passed away, aged 65, as reported by The New York Times.
His cause of death was pneumonia, according to his daughter Mercedes Kilmer, who spoke with the publication.
The actor, who rose to fame in Top Gun, before starring in the likes of Willow, The Batman and Tombstone, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, a battle he candidly discussed in his 2020 memoir I’m your Huckleberry.
In the Amazon Prime documentary titled Val, Kilmer spoke candidly about his life following throat cancer. He underwent both radiotherapy and chemotherapy as well as a tracheostomy which permanently damaged his vocal cords.
“I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel,” he said of using a voice box to talk. “I can’t speak without plugging this hole [in his throat].”
He later recovered from the cancer diagnosis, and despite treatments affecting his vocal cords, he remained active in Hollywood, reprising his role as Iceman in the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
“I just want to say that was pretty emotional,” co-star Tom Cruise told Jimmy Kimmel in 2023 about acting alongside his friend again. “I’ve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character… he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again.”
In 1988, Kilmer married actress Joanne Whalley after they met while working together on the movie Willow. The couple had two children, Mercedes in 1991 and Jack in 1995, before divorcing in 1996.
As news of his death broke, Hollywood took to social media to pay tribute to the late actor.
Among the first to comment was Josh Brolin, who posted a picture of the pair on Instagram, writing: “See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. 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.”
Josh Gad also paid tribute, posting a photo of Kilmer as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky from Top Gun. “RIP Val Kilmer,” he captioned the post. “Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood. You truly were an icon.”
More to come.
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