Top Gun and Batman star Val Kilmer dies aged 65
By Jessica Coates and Rachel Vickers-Price, PA
Top Gun and Batman star Val Kilmer has died at the age of 65, his daughter has said.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told The New York Times the actor had died from pneumonia.
He rose to fame starring alongside Tom Cruise in the 1986 hit Top Gun.
Kilmer would go on to play Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of musician Jim Morrison in the 1991 film The Doors.
Kilmer’s final acting role was a cameo in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
“I just want to say that was pretty emotional,” Tom Cruise told Jimmy Kimmel in 2023 about the cameo.
“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.”
Kilmer had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, discussing his diagnosis and recovery in his 2020 memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime Documentary Val.
He underwent both radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as a tracheostomy, which damaged his vocal cords.
“I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel,” Kilmer said in the documentary.
“I can’t speak without plugging this hole (in his throat). You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat.
“It’s an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me.”
In a post on Instagram, actor Josh Gad paid tribute to the action star.
He said: “RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood. You truly were an icon.”
Actor Josh Brolin, son of James Brolin, said he was going to miss his “pal”.
“You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker,” he said in an Instagram post.
“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.”
Kilmer married British actress Joanne Whalley in 1988, whom he met while working on the film Willow.
The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
