Val Kilmer’s official cause of death has been confirmed following his passing on April 1, marking the end of a long health struggle that began with a throat cancer diagnosis in 2014. The actor, known for his iconic role in Top Gun, battled severe health issues in the last decade of his life, which included a tracheotomy that left him largely unable to speak.
Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes, confirmed his death from pneumonia in a statement to The New York Times, a cause later verified by the death certificate obtained by TMZ. The certificate lists underlying causes as hypoxemic respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure, and squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue, the cancer that contributed to his declining health. He was cremated on April 7.
The actor made a brief cameo in the Tom Cruise film Top Gun: Maverick, released in 2022. Watch that scene below:
The actor had opened up about his battle with throat cancer in his 2020 memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry, where he discussed his initial reluctance to undergo treatment. “I was not denying that I had had cancer but was simply saying I no longer did,” Kilmer wrote, reflecting on his struggle with accepting the diagnosis.
After radiation and chemotherapy, Kilmer was forced to rely on a permanent tracheostomy tube, significantly impacting his ability to speak. “Now that it’s more difficult to speak, I want to tell my story more than ever,” Kilmer shared in his 2020 documentary, Val. “You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat… It’s an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me.”
Despite his physical limitations, Kilmer’s spirit and creativity remained strong. His final on-screen appearance came in the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick, where he reprised his role as Iceman. For the film, AI was used to recreate his voice, allowing him to connect with audiences once again. Kilmer described his experience, saying, “Despite all that, I still feel I’m the exact same person. Still the same creative soul.”
In the wake of his death, Tom Cruise led a moment of silence at CinemaCon, paying tribute to his longtime friend and co-star. “I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honored I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick,” Cruise said.
Kilmer’s children, Mercedes and Jack, expressed their pride in their father’s legacy, thanking the public for honoring him. “At this time, we would like to grieve privately,” they concluded. Kilmer is survived by his two children and his ex-wife, Joanne Whalley.
