Celebrated actor and artist Val Kilmer has died at the age of 65. According to Kilmer’s daughter, he passed away on Tuesday, April 1st, in Los Angeles surrounded by friends and family. The stated cause was pneumonia.

Val Kilmer began his stellar career in 1980s comedies, such as Top Secret! and Real Genius. In the 90s, he moved into dramatic roles and quickly began working with some of the industry’s most notable actors and directors. His acting talents were on full display as the antagonistic Iceman in Top Gun, the loyal friend Doc Holiday in Tombstone, and the enigmatic real-life rock-god James Morrison in The Doors. 

In 2014, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. He survived, but the effect on his vocal cords meant that his acting career was essentially over. He continued making music and art, and in 2022, was able to reprise his role as Iceman opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick thanks to an AI-reconstructed voice. 

Friends and colleagues of Val Kilmer remembered the actor on social media. Josh Brolin called him a “smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker,” and Heat director Michael Mann wrote “I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.” Many others spoke of his passion and creativity.