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News Val Kilmer (1959-2025)

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First three paragraphs of the article:

Val Kilmer, best known for movies such as 1986's Top Gun and 1995’s Batman Forever, has died. He was 65 years old.

His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, told The New York Times he died of pneumonia on Tuesday, April 1. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later recovered, she added.

Kilmer made his final appearance on film in 2023's Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel to the 1986 classic. Kilmer briefly appeared in the film, sharing a poignant moment with Tom Cruise onscreen.

people.com

Val Kilmer, 'Top Gun' Actor, Dies at 65

Val Kilmer died of pneumonia on Tuesday, April 1, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer told The New York Times. Kilmer starred in such blockbusters as 'Top Gun' and 'Batman Forever.'
people.com people.com
 
Far too young though he has been through the mill these last ten years or so. It was quite moving to see him in Maverick.
 
Sad news. A very talented guy but one who, for various reasons, never quite realised his full potential, IMHO. Stole the show from Pacino and DeNiro in Heat and this is the hill I will die on. Should’ve been Oscar-nominated for Tombstone.

There are also some great lesser-known performances on his CV. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is perhaps reasonably well-known thanks to RDJ’s resurgence but if you haven’t seen Kill Me Again or The Salton Sea, do yourself a favour and watch them.
 
Captaindemotion said:
Sad news. A very talented guy but one who, for various reasons, never quite realised his full potential, IMHO. Stole the show from Pacino and DeNiro in Heat and this is the hill I will die on. Should’ve been Oscar-nominated for Tombstone.

There are also some great lesser-known performances on his CV. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is perhaps reasonably well-known thanks to RDJ’s resurgence but if you haven’t seen Kill Me Again or The Salton Sea, do yourself a favour and watch them.
Click to expand...

Will add them to the list, I do love Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang though.

I actually quite liked The Saint, and I thought he was a decent Batman (though a weaker Bruce) who deserved a better film.
 
Very, very handsome man, a bit of a pompous clown in RL, but still deserved better than going out at a still quite young age, after a decade of rather cruel health problems. The 2nd Top Gun film was a worthy send off for him.
 
For anyone who hasn't seen it, the documentary "Val" is pretty great. A portrait of an actor who is funny and weird and tragic and passionate. Features a mountain of home videos shot by Val, with voice over by his son 'in character' as Val.
 
This sad news makes the unfortunate decision to end  Willow before it could tell its intended complete story even more tragic. Although it's possible Kilmer wouldn't have been able to reprise Madmartigan anyways so who knows. Still sucks either way.

I was never a big fan of Kilmer's having only really enjoyed him in  Willow and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (I've never had any interest in Top Gun and probably never will), but it's good to see that he has loving fans here. I'll have to check out some of the recommendations people have for him.

This is also a stark reminder about the seriousness of pneumonia, especially speaking as someone who just recovered from it a month ago. Obviously, there are other contributing factors that were going on (lasting effects from COVID and throat cancer, age), but that illness is no joke. Please take care of yourself, everyone.
 
And with Tom Cruise, Daniel Craig, Ming-Na Wen, and Michelle Yeoh not so far off from Val Kilmer's age in his last shortened years (still leaping off from the sides of buildings, etc), it hits home how awful and unfair his cancer and its complications were...:(
 
Life just sux sometimes.

You can either die young from cancer (Val Kilmer) or die at a ripe old age and lie in the mudroom of your house for a week until your body is discovered (Gene Hackman). :(
 
Is that what caused the Youtube Algorithm to get me to watch Batman Forever clips the last few days? There were a lot of issues with BF, but I did like Kilmer in the role. Maybe moreso Bruce Wayne than Batman, but the movie iteself had it's own charm.

RIP Val Kilmer. That scene in Top Gun Maverick was really touching. He was in a lot of great roles, even though I've actually never seen Tombstone.
 
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