WATCH: The Most Moving Home Video Footage From Val Kilmer's Lifetime Stash of Tapes — Including Him Weeping Over Mom and Being Cared For By His Daughter as He Fought Cancer
Kilmer opened up about his challenges in a personal documentary.
April 3 2025, Published 12:52 p.m. ET
Val Kilmer shared his thoughts and feelings as he suffered through throat cancer in an open and honest documentary in 2021, RadarOnline.com can report.
The legendary actor, who lost his battle with the disease on April 1, will now live on through more than 800 hours of private videos.
The actor passed away after his battle with throat cancer.
Kilmer, 65, revealed in his documentary – simply titled Val – that he was one of the first people he knew to own a handheld video camera and boasted of making thousands of videos chronicling his life.
The documentary is written by Kilmer but narrated by his son, Jack, 29, who is also an actor.
The Batman: Forever star filmed everything from behind-the-scenes shenanigans on his movie sets to hanging out with young friends like Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon backstage when they appeared in a 1983 Broadway production of the play The Slab Boys.
Bacon even jealously gushes over his friend's new toy, commenting: "Is that a video camera, Val? Oh, that is so cool."
He also shared his love for his daughter Mercedes, 33, who it turns out lived next door to her dad and happily hugged him outside their adjoining homes.
But in addition to his many adventures, Kilmer also filmed his many challenges – most specifically the throat cancer and a tracheostomy that made it difficult for him to speak.
His son reads his father's words: "I was recently diagnosed with throat cancer. Though I healed quickly from the cancer. the extensive radiation and chemotherapy that followed treatment has left my voice impaired. I am still recovering, and it is still difficult to talk and be understood."
Kilmer's battle with throat cancer was brought on by years of smoking. On Tuesday, Mercedes announced he passed away "peacefully, surrounded by loved ones" – after years of struggling to talk and needing to use a feeding tube.
The star was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015 after spitting up blood and endured extensive treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and a tracheotomy – which left him with permanent vocal damage and using a voice box to talk.
He was declared free of the disease in 2016 but continued to face huge health challenges related to his breathing and inability to exercise.
Kilmer shared a touching moment meeting up with daughter Mercedes.
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There are moments when the Tombstone star struggled to talk to the camera, pressing on his throat to speak in a weakened, raspy voice.
At times, Kilmer is incredibly honest about how the cancer changed his life, sharing glimpses of the tracheotomy band around his neck and the artificial hole that allows him to speak.
He also addresses his thoughts on death: "I see this hole in my throat, and I wonder whether people wonder if I had any fear of dying.
"I have had fears, but none that have ever been overwhelming about my life because I don't believe in death. My whole life, I've tried to see the world as one piece of life. That's how I understand it, right? As you pull back from the planet, you see that we're all one life source."
