Val Kilmer made heartbreaking ‘loneliness’ admission before his death after splitting from wife Joanne Whalley
Val Kilmer revealed he experienced regular bouts of loneliness following the divorce from his wife Joanne Whalley in 1996.
The 65-year-old actor tragically passed away on Tuesday from pneumonia, as confirmed by his daughter Mercedes the following day.
The movie legend was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, requiring several surgeries, including a tracheotomy. The procedures significantly reduced his ability to speak for the rest of his life.
Retiring from acting, Kilmer published his memoir I’m Your Huckleberry in 2020 – the title referencing his iconic performance in the 1993 western Tombstone.
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In the book, the Hollywood legend detailed his difficult family life following the split from his wife, whom he married in 1988 after meeting on the set of Willow.
The pair shared two children, daughter Mercedes and son Jack, and went their separate ways just two months after their second child was born, per The Tampa Bay Times.
Whalley cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their divorce, winning a custody battle over the children.
After his marriage breakdown, Kilmer became known as a Hollywood Lothario – dating celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Cindy Crawford, Jaycee Gossett and Cher.
Yet, he confessed in his memoir: “I haven’t had a girlfriend in 20 years.” Worst of all for Kilmer was not seeing his kids as often as he would have liked, even as he remained close with them his entire life.
“I miss my children every single way that’s possible, and ways I didn’t know were possible.” He added poignantly: “The truth is I am lonely part of every day.”
Such was his commitment to his children that he “turned down 10 really great directors because I was trying to be responsible to my family or my marriage.”
“I just didn’t pay attention to business. I can’t be a responsible parent and only be there three or four months a year,” Kilmer added.
The actor’s dedication to his children was maintained until his death, telling People magazine in 2020: “I am just madly, wildly entertained by them. My only gripe is that I never see them enough.”
His daughter Mercedes later reflected on the family’s closeness, particularly during Kilmer’s cancer battle.
“We all spend so much time together… Even just getting to meet all my dad’s friends from before I was born… there are so many beautiful things that happen when you need help from people,” she shared.
Kilmer burst onto the scene starring as Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky opposite Tom Cruise in the 1986 classic Top Gun.
He came out of retirement in 2022 to reprise his role in the sequel Top Gun: Maverick, where his character mirrored Kilmer’s trouble with speaking in “heartrending” scenes with Cruise.
It would prove to be his last onscreen performance.
Outside of Top Gun, Kilmer was one of the most successful actors of the 1990s, with seminal film critic Roger Ebert writing in 1992: “If there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it”.
He was celebrated for his portrayal of musician Jim Morrison in the 1991 film The Doors before taking on the role of Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever.