Val Kilmer, star of “Top Gun,” “The Doors” and several other classic films, died Tuesday in Los Angeles, according to his family.
Val’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, told the New York Times — which first reported the death — her dad died of pneumonia. He had been diagnosed with a throat tumor back in 2014, and had to be rushed to UCLA Medical Center in 2015 to treat severe bleeding in his throat. The tumor was the result of oral cancer.
Val famously played the lead role of rock star Jim Morrison in the film about The Doors, and also starred as Bruce Wayne in “Batman Forever.”
One of his most beloved roles was at Iceman in “Top Gun” … a character he managed to reprise in the 2022 sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick” despite his health challenges at the time.
The filmmakers used AI to recreate Val’s voice, which he’d lost at that point, due to the throat cancer.
Prolific American actor Val Kilmer, who was propelled to fame with "Top Gun" and went on to starring roles as Batman and Jim Morrison, has died at age 65, the New York Times has reported. https://t.co/iSQaKijCQ7 pic.twitter.com/kXMmdtgJY7
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 2, 2025
