Val Kilmer, the enigmatic actor, revered as much for his relentless authenticity as he was for his bevy of charismatic onscreen performances — playing everyone from the Caped Crusader to Jim Morrison — died at the age of 65. The news of Kilmer’s death was first reported by the New York Times and was later confirmed by Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes, in an email to the Associated Press, adding that the beloved actor, who died of pneumonia, was “surrounded by family and friends” at the time of his passing.
Kilmer was previously diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, for which he underwent two tracheostomies. The operations left Kilmer without much of a voice but still able to speak, a feat he credited to vocal exercises he learned while studying at Juilliard right out of high school. At 17, Kilmer was once the youngest to be accepted into the prestigious art college. But the regimented way of conservatory learning was an affront to Kilmer’s wily country-boy sensibilities. Though he was born and raised in the greater Los Angeles area, Kilmer preferred to avoid the industry town’s notorious glitz and loved to be outdoors whenever he could. “I always related to the wilderness and spent a lot of time in the wild,” he told The Juilliard Journal in 2005. In the same interview, Kilmer talked about how he’d go to Central Park and hug trees to feel grounded while studying drama.
