Val Kilmer's final post has been flooded with tributes from fans following his death at 65. .jpg_485Qvv?tr=w-1024,cr-174.0.963.676&config=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)
News of the actor's death was confirmed by his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, to The New York Times.
Following the devastating news, fans flocked to Kilmer's final Instagram post to pay their tributes.
Just days before his passing, the actor had shared a picture of a painting he'd made, showing an abstract bonfire scene.
He captioned the post: "It’s got that late-night glow. Cool tones with a low burn, like when the camp fire cools down but you’re still wide awake. 12” x 20” plexi-glazed, signed, and ready to hang."
Fans commented: "Rest in peace dear one!! I hope I see you in the realms one day. Truly a sad sad day," and: "R.I.P. thank you for making my childhood so much fun with Real Genius, Thunderheart, The Ghost and the Darkness, and of course Top Gun and Batman."
Others added: "Rest in Peace, you amazing artist and human!", and: "R.I.P Iceman. We didn’t like him because he was dangerous. We liked him because he was the Actor of a Generation."
Kilmer's daughter confirmed that her father's cause of death was pneumonia.
The actor was known for his versatility, having portrayed roles varying from rock legend Jim Morrison to the Caped Crusader in Batman Forever.
He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, and was left with limited vocal capabilities after undergoing trachea surgery and chemotherapy.
Born in Los Angeles in 1959, Kilmer became one of the youngest students ever admitted to the Juilliard School’s acting program at just 17, beginning his career on stage before hitting the big screen.
Kilmer made his film debut in the spy spoof Top Secret! (1984), followed by the cult comedy Real Genius (1985). But it was his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in Top Gun (1986), opposite Tom Cruise, that catapulted him to international stardom.
He reprised the iconic role in the blockbuster sequel, Top Gun: Maverick (2022), where Iceman had risen to commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Kilmer's lead role in Ron Howard and George Lucas’s fantasy epic Willow (1988) led to him meeting his co-star and future wife, Joanne Whalley, with the couple going on to have two children, Mercedes and Jack, before divorcing in 1996.
One of his most iconic roles was playing The Doors frontman Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991), having gone over and above to secure the part.
Kilmer had created an eight-minute video of himself dressed and singing like Morrison across different eras of his life, and the result was so true to life that the movie ended up using Kilmer's real singing voice throughout.
He went on to star in several other blockbuster movies, including 1993's western Tombstone, as well as starring alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Michael Mann’s Heat in 1995, the same year he stepped into the batsuit for Batman Forever, succeeding Michael Keaton.
Though Batman Forever was a commercial success, it received mixed reviews and Kilmer didn’t return for the sequel.
Instead, he took on the lead in The Saint and shared the screen with Marlon Brando in The Island of Dr. Moreau, a production that was widely panned and plagued by on-set tension.
Kilmer's reputation as a tough co-star followed him throughout his career. Joel Schumacher, who directed him in Batman Forever, once said: “I pray I don’t work with [Kilmer] again … we had two weeks where he did not speak to me, but it was bliss.”
Brando reportedly told Kilmer: “You are confusing your talent with the size of your paycheck,” while The Island of Dr. Moreau director John Frankenheimer declared: “I don’t like Val Kilmer, I don’t like his work ethic and I don’t want to be associated with him ever again.”
Kilmer, however, defended his approach to his craft. “When certain people criticize me for being demanding, I think that's a cover for something they didn't do well. I think they're trying to protect themselves,” he told the Orange County Register in 2003. “I believe I’m challenging, not demanding, and I make no apologies for that.”
Ultimately, he backed himself, writing in his memoir I'm Your Huckleberry: "In an unflinching attempt to empower directors, actors and other collaborators to honor the truth and essence of each project, an attempt to breathe Suzukian life into a myriad of Hollywood moments, I had been deemed difficult and alienated the head of every major studio."
Despite clashes with collaborators, his talent was undeniable.
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Schumacher did later concede that Kilmer was the best Batman, and At First Sight director Irwin Winkler called working with him a “wonderful experience.”
“Some people expect an actor to be like a wooden Indian, to do what he’s told and never open his mouth,” Winkler said. “But Val has lots of great ideas and he should be listened to.”
Kilmer’s life and career were immortalized in the 2021 documentary Val, which featured personal footage and reflections on his health struggles and artistic journey.
Val Kilmer is survived by his two children, Mercedes and Jack.
Our thoughts go out to Kilmer's family, friends, and fans at this time.