Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman star, dies at 65

The 65-year-old Val Kilmer, versatile and magnetic actor famous for his works in Top Gun, Batman Forever, and The Doors, has died.

As Mercedes Kilmer, his daughter, stated, Kilmer died in Los Angeles on Tuesday night amid family and friends. The New York Times aired the news first.

Complications of pneumonia led to the demise of the actor, who had previously battled with throat cancer, undergoing two tracheotomies post his diagnosis in 2014, and had later recovered.

Reflecting on his life and career in the documentary Val in 2021, he said:

“My conduct has fluctuated: poorly, bravely, bizarrely to some. I neither deny the acts nor repent; in good measure, I have lost and found pieces of myself I never really knew were there, and I am blessed.”

https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/1907288971299963048

Kilmer’s career would extend over the decades, but he was a star by the time of the 1984 spy comedy “Top Secret!” He later displayed comedy chops in films such as “MacGruber” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” The 1990s saw him as a Hollywood star in Tombstone, True Romance, and Heat.

Kilmer was praised by Michael Mann-director of “Heat”-for range and commitment. Josh Brolin paid tribute, calling him a “smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker.”

Kilmer had a notorious commitment to his roles. For “Tombstone,” he supposedly filled his bed with ice to more realistically portray Doc Holliday’s affliction. During the preparation for “The Doors,” he immersed himself entirely in Jim Morrison’s character.

His levels of intensity fueled rumors that he could be difficult to work with; he has since admitted that such a reputation is not without basis but claims he has always sought to uphold his artistic integrity.

One of his most well-known roles, that of Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in Top Gun, almost wasn’t one he’d pursued. Kilmer was not interested in the part initially, but finally acquiesced. He would go on to reprise the role in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick.