Val Kilmer’s passing at 65 years old has rocked the world, as tributes pour in for the actor known for his intense performances and movie star good looks.
Val died from pneumonia on April 1, his daughter Mercedes revealed to The New York Times, over ten years after he was diagnosed with throat cancer.
New details have emerged about his final days, with his family revealing to TMZ that they were by his side when he passed.
They shared that the Top Gun star had a “lack of energy related to his cancer treatment” which caused him to be bedridden before his death.
Despite being cancer-free, they added that he “couldn’t keep fighting and shut down,” as his body was “very frail.”
Val’s health “suddenly declined in the past week” according to his family, and thankfully his loved ones could support him in his final days.
© Getty ImagesThe father of two had been hospitalized previously this year, they shared, likely due to complications following his tracheotomy.
Just a month prior, he posted a video of himself putting a Batman mask on, thirty years after he played the iconic character in 1995’s Batman Forever.
His 2014 throat cancer diagnosis halted his incredible career, which included roles in Top Gun, The Doors, and Heat.
© CBS via Getty ImagesThe star underwent intensive cancer treatment despite initially being in denial about his diagnosis.
“They said I was denying that I had cancer, and when they asked me, I didn’t have cancer,” he told The New York Times. “It was a bit like do you have a broken bone? And if you broke it in high school, you would say no.”
He later opened up about his tracheotomy in his 2020 documentary, Val, which explored his health journey and how he came to terms with the changes that cancer wrought on him.
© Getty Images“I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel,” he said in the film. “I can’t speak without plugging this hole [in his throat].”
He added: “You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat. It’s an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me.” Despite his struggles, Val made a cameo in the 2022 smash-hit film Top Gun: Maverick, alongside his old co-star, Tom Cruise.
The film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, shared that the veteran actor refused to appear in the movie if Val didn’t reprise his iconic role as Iceman in the sequel. “Tom said he wasn’t going to make the movie without him,” Jerry told People.
© Getty Images“So the fact that he was able to do it and he worked with us on the script, to have him there and be a part of it was a really emotional day when we filmed him,” he continued.
“Because you want to see those two on the screen again, Iceman and Maverick going at it. And that’s what movie making and audiences love.”
The A-lister is survived by his two children, Mercedes and Jack. He welcomed the pair with his ex-wife, Joanne Whalley.
For more about Val Kilmer’s incredible life, see below…
