The legendary actor Val Kilmer passed away in his Los Angeles home on Tuesday. The Top Gun star was only 65 and reportedly died due to complications from pneumonia. The actor was previously diagnosed with cancer back in 2014, but had survived the ordeal. He was recently seen in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, reprising his role as Iceman.
Kilmer leaves behind a legacy of incredible films and performances. While his most popular role to date is Batman in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever, the actor proved his mettle in the craft with films like The Doors, where he played singer Jim Morrison. His statement on death provides some sort of solace to fans.
Val Kilmer’s perspective on death might just make his passing a bit easier
When talk show host Stephen Colbert asked Keanu Reeves what happened to people after they died, he simply responded that the ones who loved them would miss them. The answer was simple yet profound in a way that makes sense to anyone with grief. And it is all the more true with the passing of the legendary Val Kilmer.
Kilmer played several legendary roles in his prolific career of over forty years. Starting out as the youngest person to be accepted at Juilliard School’s Drama Division at the time, he began work on the stage and had his breakthrough with the comedy Real Genius. He later played several iconic roles in Batman Forever, Top Gun, and The Doors.
Kilmer has faced a lot of adversities in his life, including a long fight with throat cancer, which damaged his vocal cords. He survived the disease and lived to tell the tale in his memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoir, and the documentary Val.
His statement about death just makes his passing a bit more palatable. He said (via Quotes),
I think death is just a transition to another state of consciousness.
The actor passed away on Tuesday due to pneumonia, as stated by his daughter Mercedes. Fans truly hope that he is in another state of consciousness where his talents are better recognized.
Val Kilmer was a legend, but Hollywood never saw him as a leading man
It is surprising and not, at the same time, to see one of the best actors of a generation never having received the recognition he deserved. Val Kilmer was one of the most prolific performers in Hollywood and had some truly incredible performances under his belt, but he was never nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe, let alone win one.
From his days at Juilliard School of Drama (where at 17 he was the youngest entrant at the time), Kilmer seemed to be destined for greatness. While he is part of some of the most legendary films of the past few decades, he has not been at the center of those films. Top Gun is a Tom Cruise film, and Heat has stalwarts like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.
Even his solo outings like Batman Forever and The Doors did not garner much attention when any other actor would have probably shot to superstardom with them. He was quite the unlucky star in the sense that Hollywood never found a way to leverage his talents. Still, in his memoir, he discouraged others from abandoning their dreams. He wrote (via GoodReads),
When you dream dreams when you’re young, do them before you have a reason not to. When you are young, that is when all the dreams come true. Believe me, do them all. Nothing bad will happen to you, and all things good.
The incredible actor leaves behind a legacy that saw him play every type of role. Val Kilmer was versatile and gave his all for his performances. And the world will remember him that way.
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