Batman Forever Actor, Val Kilmer, Dead At 65

Val Kilmer, the actor whose roles in films like "Batman Forever," "Top Gun," and "Tombstone" made him a household name, has died at the age of 65. Kilmer is survived by his two children, Mercedes and Jack. His family has yet to issue a public tribute.

The New York Times confirmed Kilmer's death on April 1, reporting that he passed away at his Los Angeles home. His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, revealed that the cause was pneumonia. The actor, as fans might recall, had previously dealt with throat cancer in 2014. 

Though his acting work significantly slowed in the years leading up to his passing, Kilmer made a memorable return in "Top Gun: Maverick," reprising his role as Iceman. In his 2020 memoir, "I'm Your Huckleberry," Kilmer admitted he was initially reluctant to take the character. "I didn't want the part. I didn't care about the film. The story didn't interest me," he wrote. "My agent, who also represented Tom Cruise, basically tortured me into at least meeting Tony Scott, saying he was one of the hottest directors in town." But despite going into the audition half-heartedly, he landed the role and ended up embracing it. Reflecting on the experience, Kilmer told People it felt like "being reunited with a long-lost friend." He added, "The characters never really go away. They live on in deep freeze. If you'll pardon the pun."

While Val Kilmer died of pneumonia, it's impossible to talk about his later years without mentioning the health struggles that reshaped his life. Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer underwent a tracheotomy that permanently altered his voice. But instead of treating it like the end of the road, he approached it like another acting challenge. 

That's not to say it was easy. Kilmer acknowledged how much harder work had become, with people often straining to communicate with him. But what never changed was his creative drive. "People around me struggle to understand when I'm talking," he said. "But despite all that I still feel I'm the exact same person. Still the same creative soul." And Kilmer tried his best to avoid slowing down. He reprised his iconic role in "Top Gun: Maverick" and appeared in films like "The Snowman" and "Paydirt" — the latter alongside his daughter, Mercedes. He even told The New York Times that after everything he'd been through, he felt more in control of his career than ever. "I feel like I could not possibly be in a better place for attracting better and better roles. If an actor is fortunate enough to do so, to steer their own course and own their own material, they control their own destiny, creating their own products." Beyond the screen, Kilmer co-founded HelMel, a creative hub for artists.

And in true Kilmer fashion, he didn't shy away from reflecting on his legacy. "I have behaved poorly. I have behaved bravely. I have behaved bizarrely to some. I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost and found parts of myself that I never knew existed," he said in his "Val," documentary. "And I am blessed."