Val Kilmer's cause of death has been officially revealed. The beloved actor, who died on April 1 at the age of 65, passed away due to pneumonia. According to a death certificate from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, obtained by TMZ, pneumonia was listed as the primary cause of death, with additional health issues also playing a role in his death.
Kilmer's daughter has also earlier confirmed that he passed away from pneumonia. The "Top Gun" actor had been battling squamous cell carcinoma located at the base of his tongue and was also dealing with hypoxemic respiratory failure and chronic respiratory issues, as stated in the report.
Painful Final Years
Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure occurs when the body's tissues don't receive enough oxygen (hypoxia) or when there's an excessive buildup of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream (hypercapnia), according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The death certificate also listed malnutrition and a tracheocutaneous fistula as contributing factors. According to the document, Kilmer was cremated on April 7.
The official cause of death for the "Tombstone" actor matched what his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, previously shared. The 33-year-old actress told The New York Times that her father had died from pneumonia on April 1 in Los Angeles.
Best known for his roles in films like "The Doors", "Batman Forever", and "Heat", Kilmer's health took a serious downturn following his throat cancer diagnosis in 2015. Though he announced he was cancer-free in 2021, the treatments had lasting effects.
In addition to undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, Kilmer had two tracheotomies, which involved creating a surgical opening in his neck to assist with breathing. These procedures severely damaged his vocal cords, leaving him with limited ability to speak.
Sad End to Life
"I can't speak without plugging this hole," he said in his 2021 documentary "Val," produced by Mercedes and his son, Jack Kilmer, 29. "You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat," Kilmer added, referring to a feeding tube.
"It's an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me. I'm still recovering, and it is difficult to talk and to be understood. But I want to tell my story more than ever."
In his last on-screen appearance, Val Kilmer returned as Iceman in the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick, where artificial intelligence was used to recreate his voice.
Sources close to Val Kilmer's family told TMZ that the actor had been confined to bed for several years leading up to his death.
They explained that in the end, his body "simply couldn't keep fighting at the end," and ultimately, "his body eventually shut down."
According to family sources, Val Kilmer was "very frail at the end of his life," and his death was not unexpected.
Reports say he had been hospitalized earlier in the year, and during the week leading up to his death, he was admitted to a hospital in the Los Angeles area, where loved ones had the chance to visit him.
