Val Kilmer’s cause of death revealed a week after Top Gun star died aged 65 amid health battle
VAL Kilmer’s official cause of death aged 65 has been released.
The Batman and Top Gun star passed away in Los Angeles on April 1 after a long health battle, his daughter announced.
The actor’s official cause of death has been recorded as pneumonia, as reported by TMZ.
Documentation revealed by the Los Angeles County Department of Health showed Kilmer also had underlying causes.
These included acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure, and squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue.
Other factors listed on the death certificate were malnutrition, and a tracheocutaneous fistula.
The actor was cremated on April 7 after his death was announced on April 1.
His daughter Mercedes, 33, told the New York Times her father passed away 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.
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.”
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.