Hollywood star Val Kilmer, best known for his roles in Top Gun, Batman Forever and The Doors, has died aged 65.
He died of pneumonia on Tuesday in Los Angeles, his daughter Mercedes told American media.
Kilmer had previously been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, and tracheotomy surgery affected his voice.
But he did make a return to the screen in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), where his character, Iceman, was reunited with Maverick, played by Tom Cruise.
Tom Cruise said at the time: “I’ve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character… he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again.”
Kilmer grew up in a middle-class family in Los Angeles and he joined the Julliard School in New York – a prestigious drama conservatory.
He made a name himself in comedies including Real Genius in the eighties, before landing the role that would define him – Iceman – the arch enemy to Maverick in 1986 movie, Top Gun.
Kilmer also chose to use his own singing voice to take on the role of Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991).
He later starred in fantasy film, Willow, where he met his then British actress wife, Joanne Whalley. They had two children.
The release of the 2021 documentary Val, would look back on the actor’s career and his refusal to be silenced by throat cancer.
Actor Josh Brolin, lead the tributes. He wrote: “I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those. I hope I see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there.”
Heat director, Michael Mann, told The Hollywood Reporter: “I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.”
