HOLLYWOOD legend Val Kilmer has died at the age of 65 after a lengthy health battle.
The Batman and Top Gun star passed away in Los Angeles on Tuesday after suffering from pneumonia, his daughter announced.
Mercedes, 33, told the New York Times her father died surrounded by his family and friends.
She also said Kilmer had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later managed to recover.
He underwent major surgery including a tracheotomy which significantly impacted his ability to speak.
Kilmer became a household name when he played fighter pilot Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise.
After finding success on the beloved classic, Kilmer went on to play his biggest role as Batman in Batman Forever.
It comes as…
- The Hollywood star died of pneumonia on Tuesday
- Tributes have poured in for the legend after his tragic death
- The actor's haunting last post was revealed
- Inside Kilmer's health battles with throat cancer
- Kilmer's final film saw him reprise his role in Top Gun: Maverick
In the 1995 superhero flick he took on Jim Carrey as The Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face.
He also had huge roles playing musician Jim Morrison in The Doors as well as starring in True Romance, Heat and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
The American's incredible spell of Hollywood blockbusters in the 80s and 90s made him one of the highest paid stars of that generation.
Kilmer's final career role saw him return to the Top Gun franchise where he first found global success.
Thirty six years after playing the "Iceman", he made a brief cameo in the film's 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
The successful film marked the last on screen performance for Kilmer who had to bravely fight to return to the big screen due to his ongoing health issues.
Opting not to shy away from his real-life health struggles, the film presented Iceman as facing a serious battle of his own with his condition and speech both rapidly deteriorating.
In a final brave scene he manages to say a few raspy lines to an emotional Maverick which was made possible due to a clever AI generated voice modelling system called Sonantic.
Kilmer led a quiet life since his cancer diagnosis over a decade ago with him rarely being pictured.
The final public picture before his death came in a photo-shoot released on April, 1, 2020 – exactly five years to the day of his passing.
It showed the long-haired star embrace his confident and fun side as he donned a red shirt and uniquely decorated jeans alongside plenty of creative jewellery.
Aside from daughter Mercedes the actor is also survived by son Jack Kilmer, 29.
Kilmer was married to the mother of his children and fellow actress Joanne Whalley from 1988 until 1996, after the pair starred in hit film Willow together.
Across his glittering career he also had relationships with Hollywood stars including Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie, Carly Simon and Cher.
A haunting final post on Kilmer's Instagram saw him share a series of videos, paintings and images of things related to Batman.
Taken less than two months before his death, a short clip shows Kilmer talking to his fans before holding up a customised Batman mask.
He starts to put on the iconic piece of Hollywood history as he jokes: "It's been a while."
Kilmer spent almost four decades rubbing shoulders with film stars after first appearing in slapstick comedy Top Secret! in 1984.
Two years later he landed the Top Gun role and his career took off.
In 1988, he played the lead role in Willow alongside his former wife Joanne before starring in a string of hits in the 90s.
The Doors in 1991 was quickly followed up by Quentin Tarantino's second ever screenplay True Romance in 1993.
Kilmer arguably had the best year of his life in 1995 as he became the latest actor to play the role of Bruce Wayne and Batman.
He then went on to star alongside legendary duo Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Heat.
Throughout the next 20 years, Kilmer started to play a range of roles in musicals, TV shows and even doing voice overs for children's movies.
These included Knight Rider, Planes and The Ten Commandments before his final brief role back in the Top Gun universe in 2022.
Tributes have already started to pour in for Kilmer.
Fellow actor Josh Gad labelled him "an icon".
On Instagram the voice of Frozen's Olaf said: "RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood.
"You truly were an icon."
The official Top Gun X account also posted: "Remembering Val Kilmer, whose indelible cinematic mark spanned genres and generations. RIP Iceman."
Goonies and Avengers star Josh Brolin also posted a touching tribute to his close friend alongside a snap of the pair smiling.
It read: "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."
Inside Kilmer's health battles
BY Milad Sherzad, Sun News Reporter
VAL Kilmer was left using an electronic voice box and feeding tube after bravely battling throat cancer before his death aged 65.
The legendary actor began his battle in 2014 and later underwent chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery.
This tough fight forced him to step back from the Hollywood spotlight for a number of years.
After undergoing both radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the star underwent a tracheostomy in 2015 to help him breathe.
This procedure permanently damaged his vocal cords and left the iconic actor's voice forever altered.
He was forced to use an electric voice box on the artificial hole in his throat in order to speak.
Kilmer would cover his neck in a scarf following the surgery to hide the device.
In a candid Amazon Prime documentary entitled Val, the Top Gun and Batman Forever star said: "I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel.
"I can't speak without plugging this hole [in his throat]."
When asked what he missed most about his voice, Kilmer joked about how he "didn't laugh like a pirate" before the surgery.
The actor also faced numerous other challenges, including having meals given to him through a feeding tube.
He said: "You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat. It's an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me."
He had initially kept his cancer diagnosis secret before revealing his struggles in 2021.
He explained how he was unaware of his throat cancer until he coughed up "coagulated blood" one day and was rushed to hospital after passing out.
English acting icon Ralph Fiennes shared an image of the pair from the 1998 film The Primce of Egypt alongside the caption: "Val Kilmer rest in peace."
Matthew Modine, star of Full Metal Jacket and Stranger Things, also took to X, as he penned: "RIP Val Kilmer. If it wasn't for our chance encounter at the Source in 1985, I may never have been cast in FULL METAL JACKET. Thanks, Val."
Filmmaker Michael Mann also shared a tribute.
Sharing his message with The Hollywood Reporter, he said: "While working with Val on Heat I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val's possessing and expressing character.
"After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news."
Post a Comment