Val Kilmer was bed-bound in final years of his life: report

Val Kilmer was confined to his bed in the final years of his life, according to a new report. 

The “Batman” star died on Tuesday at the age of 65 from pneumonia, his daughter Mercedes revealed to the New York Times that day. The actress also shared that while Kilmer had battled throat cancer since he was diagnosed with the disease in 2015, he was cancer free at the time of his death.

However, sources close to Kilmer’s family told TMZ on Wednesday that the cancer treatment left him sapped of energy and bed-bound “for years before his death.” 

The actor’s body “simply couldn’t keep fighting at the end,” they shared, adding, “his body eventually shut down.” 

Known for his iconic roles in movies such as “Top Gun” and “The Doors,” Kilmer was “very frail at the end of his life” and his death was not sudden, the family sources also said.

The star was reportedly hospitalized earlier this year and was admitted to a Los Angeles area hospital again in the past week, with friends and family visiting him in his final days. 

Though a video of Kilmer wearing a Batman mask was posted to his Instagram in February, the clip was recorded “years ago” and consequently did not accurately depict how the star looked in the months prior to his death, according to TMZ. Kilmer made his last public appearance in 2019 when he attended the Thespians Go Hollywood Gala with Mercedes, 33.

Mercedes and her brother Jack, 29, are currently working on funeral arrangements, TMZ reported.

Kilmer confirmed his cancer diagnosis in 2017 and shared intimate details about his health struggles in his 2020 memoir, “I’m Your Huckleberry.” 

“One night, I suddenly awoke vomiting blood that covered the bed like a scene out of ‘The Godfather,’” Kilmer wrote, recounting a harrowing evening spent at the guest house of his ex-girlfriend Cher, who invited him to stay with her as his health began to wane. 

“I prayed immediately, then called 911. Then alerted my hostess. Cher stepped in and stepped up.”

In addition to undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy during his cancer battle, Kilmer had two tracheotomies to create an artificial hole in his neck to help him breathe. The surgeries permanently damaged his vocal cords and left him barely able to speak. 

In 2021, Kilmer declared he was cancer-free. 

“I can’t speak without plugging this hole,” he said in his 2021 documentary “Val,” produced by Mercedes and Jack. “You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat,” Kilmer added, referring to a feeding tube. “It’s an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me.”

He continued, “I’m still recovering, and it is difficult to talk and to be understood. But I want to tell my story more than ever.”