Top Gun star Val Kilmer dies aged 65
Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, News, Val Kilmer
Jess Hardiman
Featured Image Credit: EuropaNewswire/Gado/Getty Images
Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, News, Val Kilmer
Top Gun star Val Kilmer has died at the age of 65, his family have confirmed.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times the actor had died from pneumonia on 1 April.
He had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, but later recovered - having undergone both radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as a tracheostomy, which damaged his vocal cords.
Discussing his cancer journey in 2020 memoir I’m Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val, saying in the latter: “I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel.
“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 come pouring in for the veteran star, whose famous film credits also included the likes of Batman Forever, True Romance and Heat.
Actor Josh Gad wrote on Instagram: “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 actor Joanne Whalley in 1988, after the pair met while working on the film Willow.
They had two children - Mercedes and Jack - before divorcing in 1996.
Kilmer's final acting role was a cameo in 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick, which also saw the return of lead star Tom Cruise.
Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel in 2023, Cruise admitted: “I just want to say that was pretty emotional.
“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 almost didn't even take on the original 1986 film, in which he first starred as Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky.
He'd been approached by director Tony Scott, but initially rejected the idea.
“I didn't want the part," Kilmer wrote in his autobiography. I didn't care about the film. The story didn't interest me.”
However, the rest - as they say - is history.