BREAKING NEWS'Top Gun' Star Val Kilmer Dead at 65 Years After Throat Cancer Battle
'Top Gun' star Val Kilmer has died at 65 years old.
April 2 2025, Published 6:54 a.m. ET
Val Kilmer, best known for his role in the 1986 movie Top Gun, has died at 65 years old.
His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, revealed the sad news to a news outlet, stating he died of pneumonia on Tuesday, April 1.
The star died at 65 years old.
The star was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered.
He made his final appearance in 2022's Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel to the 1986 flick, which featured Tom Cruise.
The actor appeared in 2022's 'Top Gun' movie.
"I just want to say that was pretty emotional," Tom told Jimmy Kimmel about reuniting with his pal. "I've known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character… he's such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again."
Val Kilmer previously battled throat cancer.
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Val's health made headlines over the years, especially when he revealed his battle with throat cancer in 2017 while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter.
After a two-year fight with the disease, Val underwent a procedure on his trachea which led to his raspy voice and left him short of breath.
Two years prior, he was rushed to the hospital "for a possible tumor," but he denied the hearsay, clarifying it was a only a "complication."
“I have not had a tumor, or a tumor operations, or any operation I had a complication where the best way to receive care was to stay under the watchful eye of the UCLA ICU,” he later said in a Facebook post. “I am praying for a speedy return to the boards as they say. God bless you all and please don’t worry.”
Val Kilmer released his documentary in 2021.
In 2021, Val released his documentary Val, which touched upon the recovery process and how speaking was difficult for him.
Still, he was grateful for his success in Hollywood.
“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 said toward the end of the film. “And I am blessed.”
Val married actor Joanne Whalley in 1988, but they split in 1995. The pair share two children: son Jack and daughter Mercedes.
The New York Times interviewed Mercedes.
