Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Batman Forever’ Star, Dies at 65
Val Kilmer, the acclaimed actor known for his roles in Top Gun, The Doors, and Batman Forever, passed away Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 65.
His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, confirmed to The New York Times that he died of pneumonia.
Kilmer had battled health issues for years, first being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. He was rushed to UCLA Medical Center in 2015 due to severe bleeding in his throat.
Despite losing his voice after undergoing a tracheotomy, he remained active in the industry, even reprising his iconic role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), where filmmakers used AI technology to recreate his speech.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kilmer attended the prestigious Juilliard School, becoming one of its youngest-ever students at age 17.
He first gained attention in the 1985 comedy Real Genius before rising to fame as the brooding and charismatic Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991).
He later took on the role of Batman in Batman Forever (1995) and delivered unforgettable performances in Heat (1995), Tombstone (1993), and True Romance (1993).
A devout Christian Scientist, Kilmer believed in the power of faith over modern medicine, attributing his cancer remission to prayer. “Many, many people have been healed by prayer throughout recorded history,” he told The Christian Post in 2017.
Kilmer is survived by his two children, Mercedes and Jack, whom he shared with his ex-wife, actress Joanne Whalley.
