Val Kilmer's Cause of Death Confirmed

Val Kilmer passed away from pneumonia, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health has confirmed. 

The veteran actor died April 1 in L.A. at age 65.

TMZ posted an image of Kilmer’s death certificate today. The beloved star was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and underwent two tracheotomy procedures but recovered.

The Juilliard-trained Kilmer amassed more than 100 credits during his 40-year career, mostly on the big screen. 

He broke out with his first movie, 1984’s Cold War romp "Top Secret!" from the Airplane! crew of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, and shot to stardom with his second, the techie teen comedy "Real Genius".

Kilmer followed that up with his first smash movie, starring as Lt. Tom “Iceman” Kazansky opposite Tom Cruise in 1984’s "Top Gun". 

He reprised the role for 2022 blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick", with his character also dealing with throat cancer. He communicates with Cruise’s Maverick by typing words on a screen.

Kilmer scored perhaps his signature role in the early 1990s, playing rock legend Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s biopic "The Doors". He went on to appear in several hit movies during the ensuing decades including "Thunderheart" (1992), "Tombstone" (1993), "True Romance" (1993), "Heat" (1995), "The Ghost and the Darkness" (1996), "The Saint" (1997), "Mindhunters" (2004), "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005) and others.

He also donned the Batsuit for Joel Schumacher’s 1995 DC superhero pic "Batman Forever" and was the voice of "God in The Prince of Egyp"t (1998) and the voice of KITT in the 2008-09 TV remake of "Knight Rider'.