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- Val Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer over a decade ago, but it wasn’t his cause of death (businessinsider.com)
Val Kilmer, known for iconic roles in “Top Gun” and “Batman Forever,” passed away Tuesday from pneumonia. The 68-year-old actor’s health had been impacted by a decade-long battle with throat cancer, a factor that may have contributed to his passing.
Kilmer’s daughter confirmed his death but didn’t specify whether the pneumonia was directly linked to the cancer. While a tracheotomy, a procedure Kilmer underwent due to his cancer treatment, can increase the risk of pneumonia, the exact nature of the connection in Kilmer’s case remains unclear.
Kilmer’s cancer journey began in 2014, but he initially kept his diagnosis private, only revealing it publicly in a 2017 Reddit post. He later chronicled his experiences in his 2020 memoir, “I’m Your Huckleberry,” and the 2021 documentary “Val,” where he poignantly used a voice box to communicate, a consequence of the tracheotomy that ultimately robbed him of his natural voice. Although the tracheotomy damaged his vocal cords, Kilmer had affirmed being cancer-free for several years in a 2021 interview.
A tracheotomy involves creating an opening in the neck and inserting a tube into the windpipe to facilitate breathing. While speech difficulties are a common side effect, permanent loss of voice is less frequent, occurring in a smaller percentage of long-term ventilation patients.
Kilmer himself indicated in a 2020 interview that attempts to remove the tracheotomy tube resulted in complications like coughing, colds, and fever. His cancer treatments included surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, which he suggested contributed to his need for the tracheotomy.