Every year we lose a string of actors who have left a mark on the industry. In 2025, we have already lost celebrities like Gene Hackman, who was found deceased alongside his wife, Michelle Trachtenberg who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 39, and many more.
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Now, Val Kilmer has joined them in the stars. His story was never just about Hollywood fame. From iconic roles like Iceman in Top Gun to Batman himself, Kilmer's career sparkled with diversity and depth. But beyond the screen, his life was marked by resilience, spiritual searching, and immense health challenges.
The actor has passed away aged 65 from pneumonia, as confirmed by his daughter Mercedes. His death brings to a close a journey filled with creative passion and a complex battle with illness.
The illness that changed everything: Kilmer's health journey
Kilmer was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, a turning point that would reshape his life and career. Initially, he denied the diagnosis. As reported by Newsweek, he only confirmed it publicly in 2017, telling The Hollywood Reporter:
I was too serious. I'd get upset when things like Oscars and recognition failed to come my way.
A devoted Christian Scientist, Kilmer's early approach to his illness was heavily influenced by his spiritual beliefs. In Christian Science, illness is viewed not as a fixed reality but a ‘suggestion,’ a term Kilmer himself used in a 2020 interview, as noted in Mirror. This spiritual framing may have initially delayed conventional treatment.
Eventually, Kilmer underwent chemotherapy, radiation, and a tracheotomy. These procedures left him unable to speak naturally, drastically altering his ability to work as an actor.During his illness he experienced terrifying moments, including waking up 'in a pool of his own blood' a time or two back in Malibu. He also had a hard time swallowing.
New York Times Magazine, journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner wrote in 2020:
As near as I can tell, in 2014, as he was touring with 'Citizen Twain', Kilmer found himself in Nashville with a big lump in his throat. He was having a hard time swallowing. He canceled the show.
He'd been having symptoms for a while and had woken up in a pool of his own blood a time or two back in Malibu.
He required a feeding tube, he said in the Amazon Original documentary Val:
You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat.
Despite these limitations, Kilmer remained resilient. In a statement to People, he said:
I'm grateful to the entire team at Sonantic who restored my voice in a way I never imagined possible.
He was referring to the AI technology that helped recreate his voice.
His 2021 documentary Val, co-produced with his children Jack and Mercedes, received critical acclaim and a standing ovation at Cannes. The film provided an intimate look at his health journey and featured years of personal footage. As Mercedes told People:
He makes incredible pieces of art. He's always positive and is not someone who has self-pity.
Who has Val Kilmer left behind?
Val Kilmer leaves behind two children—Mercedes and Jack—whom he shared with his ex-wife, actress Joanne Whalley. The couple married in 1988 after working together on Willow but divorced in 1996. Despite the split, Kilmer maintained a close bond with his children.
His daughter Mercedes, born in 1991, is both an actress and musician. Jack, born in 1995, followed in his father’s footsteps, acting in films like The Nice Guys and Palo Alto. He also served as narrator in the documentary Val, reading his father's words aloud due to Kilmer's voice loss.
Kilmer once said in 2020, as quoted by The Standard:
My only gripe is that I never see them enough, so I never get enough of the wild entertainment that everyone else gets, but they're really, really, entertaining.
Though he never remarried, Kilmer's love life was notable. He was romantically linked to stars like Cher, Cindy Crawford, and Daryl Hannah. Speaking about Cher, he said:
Once Cher works her way inside your head and heart, she never leaves. For her true friends, her steadfast love and loyalty never die.
Kilmer’s relationships and family life were layered, much like the man himself. While his personal life revealed the emotional fabric of the man behind the roles, Kilmer's career and financial achievements tell a story of a performer who once ruled the box office and left behind a notable fortune.
Val Kilmer’s net worth
At the time of his death in 2025, Val Kilmer’s net worth was estimated at $10 million, according to Parade. This was the result of decades of work not just on screen but also in theatre, writing, and visual arts. He even sold a vast portion of his New Mexico ranch for $18.5 million in 2011.
In his heyday, Kilmer was one of Hollywood's top earners. For Batman Forever, he earned $6 million—an enormous sum in the 1990s, equivalent to over $12 million today. That role marked the peak of his commercial success, though it also signalled the beginning of a shift in his career.
He also scored a $7 million payday for The Saint and $6 million for The Island of Dr. Moreau, both in the mid-'90s. While the latter film had a notoriously troubled production, it was part of Kilmer’s string of high-profile projects that solidified his place in Hollywood.
His financial portfolio extended beyond acting. Kilmer was also an author, releasing I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir in 2020. His involvement in philanthropic work and creative projects through his HelMel Studios in Los Angeles showcased a dedication to artistic and social causes that went beyond the screen.
Despite his later health challenges, Kilmer never entirely stepped away from work. His final film appearance in Top Gun: Maverick in 2022 was a moving tribute to his enduring legacy. As he once wrote in Val:
I have behaved bizarrely to some. I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost and found parts of myself that I never knew existed.
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Sources used:
Newsweek: Val Kilmer's Cause of Death: 'Top Gun' Star's Long History of Health Issues
People: Val Kilmer On Surviving Throat Cancer: 'I Want to Share My Story More Than Ever'
Mirror: Val Kilmer woke up 'in pool of blood' during heartbreaking health battle
The Standard: Who are Val Kilmer’s wife and children? Family of late Batman star after his passing at 65
Parade: Iceman Was Worth How Much? Val Kilmer's Net Worth at Time of Death
