Obituary: Val Kilmer, an eternal elusive and magnetic Hollywood hero

Val Kilmer, the magnetic and often elusive actor who brought depth and daring to roles as iconic as Iceman in Top Gun and Jim Morrison in The Doors, died on April 1, 2025, at the age of 65 from pneumonia.

His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, confirmed the news to The New York Times, as reported by Reuters.

Kilmer's career was marked by intensity, transformation, and an almost spiritual devotion to the craft of acting.

Born in Los Angeles on December 31, 1959, he reportedly became the youngest student accepted into Juilliard’s prestigious Drama Division — an early sign of the brilliance and ambition that would define his career.

He first caught Hollywood’s eye with the 1984 spoof Top Secret!, but it was his role in Top Gun (1986) that turned him into a household name. As Lt. Tom "Iceman" Kazanski, Kilmer oozed steely charisma and cool defiance, playing opposite Tom Cruise in a rivalry that became the stuff of cinematic legend.

He would reprise the role nearly four decades later in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), a deeply emotional return shaped by the real-life challenges that had forever altered his voice.

In the early '90s, Kilmer’s star rose with roles that showcased his astonishing range — none more memorable than his embodiment of rock legend Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991).

Director Oliver Stone once said Kilmer didn’t just play Morrison — he became him. His haunting performance in Tombstone (1993) as Doc Holliday, a dying gunslinger full of swagger and sorrow, remains one of his most beloved. And in 1995, he donned the cape and cowl in Batman Forever, bringing a quiet broodiness to the role of Bruce Wayne.

Despite his on-screen bravado, Kilmer was famously private and deeply spiritual.

In 2014, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, a battle he largely kept to himself until 2017. Treatments and a tracheostomy left his once-commanding voice barely audible. But even then, Kilmer refused to retreat. He co-produced and narrated the 2021 documentary Val, a raw and moving chronicle of his life and career using decades of home video footage and personal reflections.

“I'm a very emotional person, and I don't believe that's a weakness,” Kilmer once said. That vulnerability, combined with a burning intensity, made his performances unforgettable.

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

In their grief, they — along with fans and peers — remember a man who gave everything to the roles he played, often at great personal cost. His was a career that shimmered with brilliance and contradiction, just like the man himself.