His family has yet to issue a public tribute.
His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, revealed that the cause was pneumonia.
The actor, as fans might recall, had previously dealt with throat cancer in 2014.
“I didn’t want the part.
I didn’t care about the film.
The story didn’t interest me,” he wrote.
But despite going into the audition half-heartedly, he landed the role and ended up embracing it.
Reflecting on the experience, Kilmer toldPeopleit felt like “being reunited with a long-lost friend.”
He added, “The characters never really go away.
They live on in deep freeze.
If you’ll pardon the pun.”
Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer underwent a tracheotomy that permanently altered his voice.
But instead of treating it like the end of the road, he approached it like another acting challenge.
That’s not to say it was easy.
Kilmer acknowledged how much harder work had become, with people often straining to communicate with him.
But what never changed was his creative drive.
“People around me struggle to understand when I’m talking,” hesaid.
“But despite all that, I still feel I’m the exact same person.
Still the same creative soul.”
And Kilmer tried his best to avoid slowing down.
“I feel like I could not possibly be in a better place for attracting better and better roles.
Beyond the screen, Kilmer co-founded HelMel, a creative hub for artists.
And in true Kilmer fashion, he didn’t shy away from reflecting on his legacy.
“I have behaved poorly.
I have behaved bravely.
I have behaved bizarrely to some.
