Top Gun and Batman star Val Kilmer dies aged 65
2 April 2025, 05:42 | Updated: 2 April 2025, 09:11
Top Gun and Batman star Val Kilmer has died aged 65.
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The star died from pneumonia, his daughter Mercedes said in a statement to the New York Times.
Kilmer rose to fame starring alongside Tom Cruise as Iceman in the 1986 film Top Gun.
He went 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.
His final acting role was a cameo on the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
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The star had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, discussing his diagnosis and recovery in his 2020 memoir, I'm Your Huckleberry.
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.
"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."
Tributes have since poured in for Kilmer, with Josh Gad calling him "an icon".
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 called Kilmer a "smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker".
Alongside a picture of the two, he wrote on Instagram: "See ya, pal. I'm going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. 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."
A joint Instagram post from Paramount Pictures and the official Top Gun social media channel said: "Remembering Val Kilmer, whose indelible cinematic mark spanned genres and generations. RIP Iceman."
Author Don Winslow wrote on X: "Rest in peace VAL KILMER. A brilliant actor and a good man."
In 2021, an Amazon Prime documentary on Kilmer's life, titled 'Val', was released, with his son providing the voice-over narration for it.
He opened up about his career as well as living with the consequences of throat cancer.
Kilmer was born on New Year's Eve in 1959 in Los Angeles - his father Eugene was a real estate developer while mum Gladys stayed at home to raise her three sons.
He attended Chatsworth High School at the same time as Kevin Spacey and Mare Winningham and, at the age of 17, was reported to be the youngest person to be given a place at New York's prestigious Juilliard drama school.
He married British actress Joanne Whalley in 1988, whom he met while working on the Ron Howard-directed film Willow, which also saw him star alongside Warwick Davis.
The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
Other films Kilmer starred in included 1993 Western Tombstone, alongside Kurt Russell and Bill Paxton, The Salton Sea and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which won him praise from critics.
He was also in Michael Mann's 1995 crime drama Heat with Hollywood heavyweights Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
The star is survived by his daughter Mercedes, 33, and son Jack, 29.
