Val Kilmer: pneumonia confirmed as the cause of death

Hollywood star Val Kilmer (1959-2025) died on April 1 after a long health odyssey at the age of 65. Just a few days after his death, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer announced in an interview with the “New York Times” that her father died of pneumonia. This is now also confirmed by Kilmer’s official death certificate.

In addition to pneumonia, acute and chronic respiratory failure as well as carcinoma on the tongue were mentioned as further causes of Kilmer’s death. Other diagnoses contained therein are malnutrition and an air pipe fistula. In addition, the Promiportal reports that Val Kilmer’s body had already been cremated on April 7th. Kilmer had been fighting massive health problems for many years. For a long time he did not allow his larynx cancer to be treated for reasons of belief.

In 2015, after a hospital stay on Facebook, he contradicted the rumors about an alleged tumor. “I have neither a tumor nor a tumor surgery or any operation.” It was only two years later that Kilmer admitted his cancer in a question and answer session at Reddit by saying that he was healed. According to US media reports, Kilmer had been bedridden for many months before his death.

Val Kilmer celebrated his big breakthrough in 1986 with “Top Gun”, in which he as an ice -cold “Iceman” Tom Cruise (62). In the 2000s, Val Kilmer’s career slipped more and more in supporting roles. He also increasingly stood in front of the camera for TV productions. For “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022) Kilmer returned to the big canvas and his famous role as “Iceman”. At the same time it was his cinematic farewell.