Val Kilmer Has Died
ArchiveFirst published April 6, 2025. It may not reflect later developments.
Val Kilmer, best known for his roles in Top Gun, Batman Forever, and The Doors, has died at age 65 from pneumonia in Los Angeles, confirmed by his daughter, Mercedes.
Kilmer’s acting career took off in the 1980s with Top Secret! and Real Genius, but it was his role as Iceman in Top Gun that made him a star. He went on to impress in The Doors as Jim Morrison, Tombstone as Doc Holliday, and Heat alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Director Michael Mann recalled, “I always marveled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.”
In 1995, he took on the iconic role of Batman, though he declined to return for the sequel. Despite being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer continued to act, appearing in Top Gun: Maverick in 2022. Tom Cruise said, “He’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again.”
Actor Josh Gad called him “an icon,” and James Woods said, “Sad to lose him so soon.”
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