Legendary actor Val Kilmer passed away at the age of 65, leaving behind a legacy of unforgettable performances.
The Hollywood star, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later recovered, succumbed to pneumonia on Tuesday, April 1, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer told The New York Times.
Mercedes and son Jack are among his survivors.
Val Kilmer passed away at the age of 65, his daughter confirmed
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Kilmer was born in L.A. in 1959 to parents Eugene and Gladys, who later divorced.
He met his wife, Joanne Whalley, on the set of George Lucas’s fantasy epic Willow and went on to have two children with her.
The couple divorced in 1996.
The legendary Hollywood actor, who battled throat cancer, succumbed to pneumonia on April 1
Image credits: Terje Oegema
His daughter Mercedes described him as a “layered person” with a “childlike playfulness.”
He also has “the deep wisdom of somebody who’s been on a spiritual path their whole life at the same time,” she told People in 2021.
Kilmer made an indelible mark on Hollywood by bringing to life nuanced characters with his signature deep intensity.
“He’s such a layered person, there’s the childlike playfulness,” Mercedes Kilmer said about her father
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His most lauded roles include playing rock icon Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991), gunslinger Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993), and Gotham’s caped crusader in Batman Forever (1995).
“For me, Val Kilmer was the best Batman,” said director Joel Schumacher, who has two Batman movies in his repertoire.
Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis
Kilmer previously said he was glad to take the Batman actors’ baton from Michael Keaton.
“Everything was different about this job than I’d experienced before,” he once told ET.
“The size of the character and how strange it was that Michael Keaton had decided not to do it—I just said yes, without reading the script.”
For his debut in feature films, he was cast as an American singer in Berlin in the Cold War spy comedy Top Secret (1984).
The star is best known for bringing life to characters like Jim Morrison and Batman
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“He works harder than most actors to make it look believable,” Tombstone director George Cosmatos said about the star during an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1993.
“He’s in the ranks of the great actors in America like Pacino or De Niro,” the director added.
Action hero Tom Cruise reunited with Kilmer for the sequel of Top Gun in 2022.
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Kilmer, who lost the ability to speak as he underwent treatment for throat cancer, reprised his role of Iceman, 36 years after the original movie was released in 1986.
He had limited dialogue in the film and spoke with the help of AI tools.
Cruise admitted he cried over their emotional reunion.
Tom Cruise admitted to crying over his emotional reunion with Kilmer for Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Image credits: Netflix
“I just want to say that was pretty emotional. I’ve known Val for decades,” he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2023.
“For him to come back and play that character… he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again. You’re looking at Iceman.”
“I was crying. I got emotional,” Cruise admitted. “He’s such a brilliant actor, and I love his work.”
“He’s such a brilliant actor, and I love his work,” Tom Cruise said about his Top Gun co-star
Image credits: Rob Kim/Getty Images
Fans shared their condolences after the news of the Hollywood star’s death.
“Great actor dealt a terrible hand. Think it's going to be a Tombstone and Doors weekend,” one commenter said on social media, while another wrote, “Taken too young.”
Image credits: Prime Video
“So sad for me he’s my best favorite actor,” another wrote. “Rest in peace. Val Kilmer. My favorite movies from him Batman Forever, The Saint, Top Gun,” one said.
“I was hoping this was one last April Fools joke and it's not!” another wrote.
Fans shared their grief after the news of Val Kilmer's death
