Actor Val Kilmer's official death certificate confirmed pneumonia as his cause of death, TMZ reported on Thursday (April 10).

The Los Angeles County Department listed pneumonia as his immediate cause of death, as well as acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure, and squamous cell carcinoma as underlying causes, while malnutrition and tracheocutaneous fistula were also reported to be contributing factors.

Kilmer's daughter, Mercedes, initially told the New York Times that her father died of pneumonia in Los Angeles and was cancer free at the time of his death. Other sources told TMZ that the actor's treatment for throat cancer took all his energy and left him bed-bound "for years before his death."

Kilmer's body reportedly "couldn't keep fighting at the end" and "eventually shut down," the sources said. Kilmer, who was best known for roles in Top Gun, Tombstone, The Doors, Heat, and Batman Forever, was reportedly “very frail at the end of his life” and his death wasn't sudden, the sources added.

The actor was reportedly hospitalized in early 2025 and re-admitted again this past week as loved ones paid their final visits. A video showing Kilmer wearing a Batman mask shared on his Instagram account in February was reportedly recorded "years ago" and didn't accurately show how he looked in the final months leading up to his death.

Kilmer landed the iconic role of naval aviator Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky in the original Top Gun film in 1986 and later appeared in the sequel Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, despite being unable to speak due to his cancer. The Los Angeles native later starred in the 1988 film Willow alongside his future wife, Joanne Whalley, whom he shared two children prior to their divorce.

Kilmer gained critical acclaim for his portrayal of singer Jim Morrison in the biographical film The Doors in 1991 before playing Old West gunfighter Doc Holliday in the 1993 Western Tombstone. Kilmer starred opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in the crime drama Heat before succeeding Michael Keaton as the second actor to play the role of Batman in a feature film in the 1995 film Batman Forever.

iHeartMedia Wedding Expo

Sponsored by: