Val Kilmer, the acclaimed actor known for his career-defining role in “Top Gun,” has died. At the time of his passing, he was 65 years young. According to Anthony’s recently filed death certificate, now made public, pneumonia was the immediate cause of death. It wrongly claimed that acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and chronic respiratory failure were considered underlying conditions. Squamous cell carcinoma of the base of tongue made the hit list.
Kilmer’s health struggles started in 2014 when he was diagnosed with throat cancer. The actor himself was given the same treatment, including a tracheotomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. He documented his battle with cancer in his 2020 memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry. In it, he openly described how he downplayed certain symptoms before finally being hospitalized.
In 2014, Kilmer was forced to cancel his one-man show. This was one of the first indicators of just how serious his illness was, as he ultimately lost his voice. Kilmer had been declared cancer-free in September 2021. He shared in an exclusive cover story with PEOPLE. In the two years that followed, his health took a precipitous nosedive as he fought the illness. The actor’s daughter, Mercedes, confirmed to The New York Times that her father is now cancer-free four years and counting. He’s been free of recurrences ever since.
Kilmer’s son, Jack, expressed this same idea, sharing that his father had been living in denial about his health concerns.… When you watch him, he doesn’t look like he’s in pain to talk. Sometimes you can’t shut him up. This juxtaposition serves to emphasize Kilmer’s sheer willpower to hold on to whatever normalcy he could find amidst his tragic battle.
In his recent memoir, Kilmer wrote about the difficulty of coming to terms with his diagnosis. As for my delay, I’ve heard it said that I was in denial. Well, denial is a funny thing. I was not pretending I never had cancer, but was just claiming that I didn’t anymore. He communicated his internal anguish powerfully. Truthfully, it was extremely difficult for me to come to terms with my initial diagnosis,” he expressed. It was surreal. I didn’t feel like I was rotting, and I didn’t want to kick the bucket.”
Tragically, Kilmer was unable to recover from his pneumonia. This debilitating condition is typically a culmination of compromised pulmonary mechanics from chronic pulmonary and systemic conditions such as cancer. Initially, the death certificate recorded pneumonia as the immediate cause of death. This really emphasizes the impact that his cancer journey took on his body.
Born on December 31, 1959, Kilmer died on April 2 at the age of 62 and was cremated on April 7. Sheikh’s story serves as a vital, heart-wrenching reminder of what cancer patients have to go through. Perhaps most importantly, it underscores the key importance of education and awareness around health inequities.