Val Kilmer, the Hollywood star famed for his roles in Batman Forever, The Doors and Top Gun, tragically died from pneumonia at the age of 65 on Tuesday.

The actor, who also shared the screen with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Michael Mann's Heat, was diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2014.

Although he beat the disease, a trachea surgery resulted in the loss of his voice, effectively ending his film career. In a 2020 New York Times Magazine feature, journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner provided an intimate look into Kilmer's struggle with cancer.

She disclosed that the actor had difficulty swallowing and even woke up in a "pool of his own blood". Taffy penned: "As near as I can tell, in 2014, as he was touring with 'Citizen Twain', Kilmer found himself in Nashville with a big lump in his throat. He was having a hard time swallowing. He canceled the show."

She continued: "He'd been having symptoms for a while and had woken up in a pool of his own blood a time or two back in Malibu. A doctor eventually told him it was throat cancer, or as Kilmer told me Christian Science calls it, the 'suggestion of throat cancer'."

"Meaning that in Christian Science, 'the idea is rather than say I have it or possess it, there is a claim, there’s a suggestion that this is a fact."

In a 2017 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Val Kilmer, a Christian Scientist, admitted that his health struggles had shifted his perspective, confessing he was "too serious".

He also revealed his disappointment when accolades like Oscars eluded him, stating: "Meryl Streep must feel pretty good, you know? It must feel nice to know that everyone loves her. It's about being love".

Val's journey towards accepting his illness wasn't smooth, as evidenced by his denial of Michael Douglas' assertions in 2016 that he was battling cancer.

When asked about the incident, Val said: "He was probably trying to help me cause press probably asked where I was these days, and I did have a healing of cancer, but my tongue is still swollen altho healing all the time (sic). 'Because I don't sound my normal self yet people think I may still be under the weather."

In the 2021 documentary 'Val,' the actor offered a glimpse into his life through four decades of personal footage. The film notably featured him using a voice box to communicate post-cancer surgery.

Born in Los Angeles in 1959, Val enrolled at Juilliard School's acting programme at just 17. He kickstarted his career on stage before making a name for himself in films like Real Genius and ultimately landing the iconic role of Iceman in Top Gun.