Val Kilmer, one of the biggest Hollywood actors of the 1990s who shot to fame playing Iceman in the original “Top Gun”, has died aged 65 after a career of memorable hits and on-set bust ups.
The cause of death was pneumonia, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer told the New York Times on Tuesday, which was the first publication to announce the news.
He battled throat cancer after being diagnosed in 2014 and appeared in the “Top Gun” sequel and a 2021 documentary appearing physically diminished and with a raspy voice.
His film credits include blockbusters such as Oliver Stone’s “The Doors,” in which he played Jim Morrison, as well as a short-lived stint as Batman in “Batman Forever” in 1995 opposite Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones.
“Once you’re a star, you’re always a star. It’s just ‘what level?’” he told the Hollywood Reporter in an interview in 2012.
“And I was in some big, wonderful movies and enjoyed a lot of success, but I didn’t sort of secure that position.”
