Hollywood is in mourning this week after Val Kilmer, the star of ’80s and ’90s blockbusters including “Top Gun,” “Batman Forever” and “Tombstone, died, according to The Associated Press.
He was 65.
Kilmer passed away on Tuesday, and even though it was on April Fool’s Day, it was certainly not a joke that many people hoped it would be.
Val Kilmer has sadly passed away at the age of 65. pic.twitter.com/z7SKWDFQGb
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 2, 2025
The cause of death was said to be pneumonia, said his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer.
Val Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered, according to her.
Kilmer made his film debut in the 1984 spy spoof “Top Secret!” which won him legions of fans. His career only improved as the years passed.
Val Kilmer Starred In Some Mega Hits During His Time
Val Kilmer, who earned a reputation as a Hollywood bad boy for his intensity and temperament, has died.
The actor had lived with poor health for years due to throat cancer.
However, his daughter stated he passed away from pneumonia.
The California-born was one of Hollywood’s most prominent leading men in the 1990s.
Kilmer first rose to fame for playing the competitive naval aviator Tom “Iceman” Kazansky alongside Tom Cruise in Tony Scott’s 1986 mega box-office hit Top Gun. His career only got better from there.
The film made $344 million at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of the decade.
Val Kilmer followed that success with a string of well-received roles, including dashing swordsman Madmartigan in Ron Howard’s fantasy film Willow, rock icon Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors, and gunslinger Doc Holliday in the western drama Tombstone alongside Kurt Russell, per ABC News.
We send our thoughts and prayers to his family.
