Batman star Val Kilmer sadly passed away at the age of 65 earlier this month, and new details have emerged about the cause of his death.
Earlier this month, Val Kilmer’s daughter sadly announced the death of her father in a heartbreaking tribute to the Top Gun star. Now nine days on, the Hollywood icon’s cause of death has been confirmed.
The 65-year-old shot to fame in the 1986 movie Top Gun where he played Iceman, the rival of Tom Cruise’s character Maverick. Val also picked up critical acclaim for his portrayal of musician Jim Morrison in the film The Doors (1991) and was well known for playing Batman in the 1995 Batman Forever film.
Val’s final acting credit was his return to Top Gun: Maverick, which came out in 2022, reports the Mirror. While he led an iconic life on the film screen, behind closed doors Val struggled with health issues, including being diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2014.
After undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the star had to relearn how to speak after receiving a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords. Due to having meals through a feeding tube, Val had to tragically choose between breathing or eating.
On April 1, the actor’s daughter Mercedes revealed that her father had died from pneumonia at Los Angeles Hospital. However, new details have now been added to his death certificate, which was obtained by TMZ.
The heartbreaking causes of death included “acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure, and squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue.”
The NHS says that Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is a type of skin cancer that typically starts in the skin, where the cells multiply and change the skin’s appearance. This is usually a slow-growing form of skin cancer and normally remains in the outer layer of the skin.
In 2020, Val had revealed that he had been cancer free for four years, but the disease must have sadly returned. Other factors that contributed to Val’s death include malnutrition and a tracheocutaneous fistula – an abnormal complication between the trachea and the skin which often occurs after a tracheostomy tube is removed.
In a touching and emotional tribute to their father following his death, his two kids – Mercedes and Jack – thanked those who had honoured their “extraordinary father’s memory”.
They said: “We are so proud of him and honoured to see his legacy celebrated. At this time, we would like to grieve privately.”
Tom Cruise, Val’s Top Gun co-star, also paid tribute to his late friend. The Mission Impossible star honoured Val at CinemaCon, which was held at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Tom said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.
“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him. I wish you well on the next journey,” reports Variety.
