Val Kilmer dies at 65

Prolific American actor Val Kilmer has died at age 65, the New York Times reported yesterday.

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The cause of death was pneumonia. He had battled throat cancer following a 2014 diagnosis, but later recovered.

Kilmer burst onto the big screen full of charisma, cast as a rock star in Cold War spoof "Top Secret!" in 1984. Two years later, he gained fame as the cocky, if mostly silent fighter pilot in training Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in box office smash hit "Top Gun," playing a rival to Tom Cruise's "Maverick."