NEWS / Actor Val Kilmer died from pneumonia – death certificate

Entertainment periodical TMZ has obtained an informational copy of American actor Val Kilmer’s death certificate, confirming “pneumonia” as the immediate cause of the star’s passing on April 1

The certificate, obtained from the Los Angeles Department of Health, also lists “acute hypoxemic respiratory failure”, “chronic respiratory failure”, and “squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue”. Other contributing factors include malnutrition and tracheocutaneous fistula.

Starting out as a theater actor, Kilmer began his movie career in comedies such as Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985). He became well-known following his iconic role as Iceman in Top Gun (1986), opposite Tom Cruise, and played the lead in the fantasy film Willow (1988). He went on to play historic figures, such as singer Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) and Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993). At the peak of his career in the 1990s, he played FBI Agent Ray Levoi in the Neo-Western Thunderheart (1992), a fictional Elvis Presley in True Romance (1993), and criminal Chris Shiherlis in the legendary crime drama Heat (1995), with an ensemble cast that included Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

Kilmer cemented his success by starring as vigilante superheroes Batman / Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever (1995) and Simon Templar / The Saint in The Saint (1997), as well as Dr. Montgomery in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), opposite Marlon Brando.

Kilmer was not as omnipresent on film in the 2000s, but still had notable highlights such as the roles of methamphetamine addict Danny Parker in psychological crime thriller The Salton Sea (2002), King Philip II of Macedon opposite Colin Farrell’s lead in the historic drama Alexander (2004), detective Perry Van Shrike in Neo-noir black comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), FBI Agent Paul Pryzwarra in time-travel action film Déjà Vu (2006), and Detective Stevie Pruit in crime drama Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009).

His movie appearances in the 2010s became more sporadic, but he did have small but notable roles in action comedy MacGruber (2010), psychological thriller The Snowman (2017), and romantic drama Song to Song (2019). The downturn was partially caused by the health problems Kilmer started experiencing during that decade. In 2015, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer, forcing the actor to undergo a tracheal procedure that damaged his vocal chords and caused him to experience severe difficulty speaking.

After the surgery, Kilmer continued to undergo chemotherapy and had 2 tracheotomies. In 2020, the actor reported that he was cancer-free, but had to continue relying on a feeding tube. In 2021, he collaborated with Sonatic to digitally recreate his voice using AI and reprised the role of Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), in which his real voice was digitally altered for clarity. Kilmer died April 1, 2025, aged 65.