Following the tragic loss of Val Kilmer at age 65, details about how he spent his final years have come to light.
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Tributes have subsequently poured in for the legendary actor, who is perhaps best known for his standout performances in movies such as Top Gun, The Doors, and Batman Forever,
The heartbreaking news was first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer.
Mercedes also informed the outlet that her father's cause of death was pneumonia.
Though he had battled throat cancer since 2014, Mercedes revealed he was cancer-free at the time of his death.
Still, the damage from his years of treatment had taken a deep toll. Sources close to Kilmer’s family told TMZ that the actor was “very frail at the end of his life” and had been confined to bed “for years before his death.”
His final days were spent surrounded by friends and family, with Kilmer hospitalized twice this year — including in the final week of his life.
"His body eventually shut down," family sources said. “The actor’s body simply couldn’t keep fighting at the end.”
While a video of Kilmer wearing a Batman mask was shared to his Instagram in February, TMZ reports it was filmed “years ago” and didn’t reflect his condition in the lead-up to his death.
Kilmer’s final public appearance was in 2019, when he attended the Thespians Go Hollywood Gala alongside his daughter Mercedes, now 33.
She and her brother Jack, 29, are currently handling funeral arrangements.
His health issues were also detailed in his 2020 memoir I’m Your Huckleberry, where he described one terrifying night at ex-girlfriend Cher’s guest house.
“One night, I suddenly awoke vomiting blood that covered the bed like a scene out of ‘The Godfather,’” he wrote. “I prayed immediately, then called 911. Then alerted my hostess. Cher stepped in and stepped up.”
Kilmer underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and multiple tracheotomies that damaged his vocal cords. He declared himself cancer-free in 2021 but continued to require a feeding tube and spoke with great difficulty.
Though his career slowed in later years, Kilmer continued working, including a return to the big screen in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), where his character Iceman had become the U.S. Pacific Fleet commander.
Despite the ups and downs, Kilmer reflected on his life with clarity and humility. In the documentary Val, he said: “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 added: “And I am blessed.”
Kilmer is survived by his two children, Mercedes and Jack.