How Val Kilmer spent his last days bed-ridden and unable to speak clearly

Actor Val Kilmer, who died on April 2 from pneumonia at age 65 following years of declining health due to throat cancer treatment, had been bed-bound and unable to speak clearly for the last few years. Kilmer’s health had been seriously deteriorating and in his final week, his family and friends had gathered around his bed in the hospital.

Despite being cancer-free, his body was weakened and eventually succumbed to pneumonia. Kilmer's health had declined over the past week, leading to his hospitalization and subsequent death.

Kilmer's last public appearance was in 2019 at the Thespians Go Hollywood Gala with his daughter Mercedes. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. He made his final on-screen appearances in the "Top Gun" sequel and a 2021 documentary, “Val.”


Born Val Edward Kilmer on New Year’s Eve in 1959, he began his acting career in commercials as a child. He was the youngest person ever accepted into the drama department at New York’s Juilliard school. He made his Broadway debut in 1983 alongside Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon.

Kilmer gained fame for his roles in iconic films like "Top Gun," "Heat," "Tombstone," and "The Doors," where he portrayed Jim Morrison. In the 2010s, he was working on a comeback with a stage show about Mark Twain, which he hoped to adapt into a film, before his cancer diagnosis.

The 2021 documentary, "Val," premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and offered an intimate look into Kilmer's life, career, and health struggles. It showed him struggling for air after a tracheotomy and hinted at his frustration with signing autographs at conventions, which he felt was like "selling his old self."

When Kilmer reprised his role as "Iceman" in "Top Gun: Maverick," the film incorporated his real-life health issues and raspy voice into the character.

On his website, Kilmer described his life as “magical.”

“For more than half a century, I have been honing my art, no matter the medium. Be it literature, movies, poetry, painting, music, or tracking exotic and beautiful wildlife,” he wrote.

Kilmer is survived by his two children, Mercedes and Jack.