Top Gun & Batman Forever Star Val Kilmer’s Underlying Causes of Death Officially Revealed

Top Gun and Batman Forever star Val Kilmer passed away on April 1, 2025, due to pneumonia. He was 65. The cause of death was recently revealed by her daughter, Mercedes.

According to Val’s death certificate shared by People, his death was related to many underlying causes, such as:

• acute hypoxemic respiratory failure
• chronic respiratory failure
• squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue (tongue cancer)

Val was also diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, which he survived but at the cost of his voice. In his 2020 memoir titled “I’m Your Huckleberry”, Val said it was tough for him to embrace his original diagnosis because “he was not ready to die.”

He underwent a tracheotomy, chemotherapy, and radiation to help cure his throat cancer.

Since his diagnosis, Val appeared less in movies but remained active on his socials. His last movie appearance was in Top Gun: Maverick, where he appeared briefly as Iceman alongside Tom Cruise. His character was also killed in Maverick.

Other roles that defined his career also include Tombstone and Heat, where he played Doc Holliday and Chris Shiherlis, respectively.

Also read: “They don’t make films like this anymore” – M’sian Has Watched Top Gun: Maverick In Theatres 59 Times!