The “Top Gun” and “Heat” star was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015.
Val Kilmer, the actor best known for his iconic roles as Jim Morrison in “The Doors” and Iceman in “Top Gun,” died April 1 from pneumonia, his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, told the Associated Press. He was 65.
In 2015, the actor was diagnosed with throat cancer, a condition he initially kept private but later publicly addressed. The 2021 documentary titled “Val” premiered at Cannes Film Festival and chronicled his health issues. It also depicted his use of a voice box to speak.
Born in Los Angeles, Kilmer became the youngest student to attend Juilliard School‘s Drama Division at the time he enrolled.
The charismatic star, who had a reputation for being difficult to work with, appeared in a wide range of films, making a name for himself early in his career in comedies like “Top Secret!” and “Real Genius.” His star rose considerably when he starred in the 1986 smash “Top Gun” as Iceman. Kilmer reprised the role in a small part in the 2022 sequel “Top Gun: Maverick.” That would be his last film.
Kilmer is survived by his two children, son Jack Kilmer and daughter Mercedes Kilmer.
Val Kilmer’s cause of death
Mercedes Kilmer confirmed the “Top Gun” and “Heat” actor died at his Los Angeles home from pneumonia to The Associated Press.
While the family didn’t specify if his pneumonia was related to his throat-cancer battle, undergoing a tracheostomy, a procedure where a tube is inserted into the trachea, as Kilmer did, can increase the risk of pneumonia long term, according to the American Thoracic Society.
Treatment for throat cancers can include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy and can cause people to “develop weakness of the musculature to your swallowing,” Dr. Diana Kirke, an otolaryngologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, who wasn’t involved in Kilmer’s treatment tells TODAY.com.
“You’re more prone to … aspirating and so when you start aspirating, you’re prone to pneumonia,” she adds.
Val Kilmer’s battle with throat cancer
Kilmer was quiet about his cancer for the first few years following his diagnosis. Eventually, he’d share more details with the public.
In his 2021 documentary “Val,” Kilmer said he had no regrets, particularly about this health. “I have behaved poorly. I have behaved bravely. I have behaved bizarrely to some. I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost and found parts of myself that I never knew existed,” said Kilmer. “And I am blessed.”
2015: Kilmer is diagnosed with cancer
During a Reddit Ask Me Anything session with fans in 2017, Kilmer confirmed that he was “healing from cancer“ after initially denying reports that he was suffering from the illness.
He was asked by a fan if comments by his “The Ghost and the Darkness” co-star Michael Douglas saying Kilmer had cancer were true.
“He was probably trying to help me ‘cause press probably asked where I was these days, and I did have a healing of cancer, but my tongue is still swollen (although) healing all the time,” Kilmer replied. “Because I don’t sound my normal self yet people think I may still be under the weather.”
Kilmer had previously called the comments by Douglas “misinformed“ and wrote on Facebook that he had “no cancer whatsoever,” the New York Times reported.
In a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he confirmed he’d been living with the illness for two years.
He also shared in his 2021 film, “Val,” that he was diagnosed with throat cancer.
“I was recently diagnosed with throat cancer. I’m still recovering, and it is difficult to talk and to be understood,” Kilmer says in a voiceover for the film’s trailer.
2020: Kilmer shares that he underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation
Kilmer told The New York Times in a May 2020 interview that he underwent a tracheostomy, chemotherapy and radiation after being diagnosed with throat cancer.
A tracheostomy is a surgery where an opening is made in the trachea and a tube is inserted to help air and oxygen reach the lungs. He relied on the tube to both breathe and eat.
He also said the chemo and radiation treatments “zapped my whole throat, and it’s still dry as a bone” but added to the Times that he was “no longer suffering from cancer.”
During the Times interview, he was still using the tracheostomy tube and shared that when he had tried to remove it, he would experience complications such as coughs, colds or fever.
During an appearance on “Good Morning America” in August 2020, he said of recovering from his surgery, “I’m doing great, I feel a lot better than I sound.”
2021: Kilmer is seen using a voice box to speak following his cancer treatment
He used a voice box after undergoing the tracheostomy, which affected his ability to talk.
“It isn’t easy to talk and be understood,” he explained in a 2022 post on his website. “I am improving all the time, but am not able to be out in the world the same way I had become accustomed.”
His film “Val” shows him using the device to speak. Ahead of its 2021 release, he shared on X: “It feels like yesterday and yet it has been a lifetime. As I write this, my documentary is getting ready to premiere at Festival De Cannes. And as grateful as I am for being selected with this high honor, I look forward most to sharing my life’s story with all of you.”
Kilmer also appeared in the 2020 film “Paydirt” with his daughter Mercedes. The heist thriller came out in the wake of Kilmer’s tracheostomy and depicts his drastically changed voice.
“My dad has had to circumvent his speech by creatively using his other senses and using other avenues of communication, which is very fascinating as an actor,” Mercedes Kilmer told TooFab in 2020.
2021: Kilmer shares he is cancer-free
Covering People magazine in August 2021, he confirmed he was cancer-free while promoting the film “Val.”