Who was Val Kilmer married to? All about his wife and kids as Batman star passes away at 65
Batman Forever and The Doors fame Val Kilmer passed away on April 1, 2025, at the age of 65, as confirmed by the actor's daughter Mercedes Kilmer to the New York Times. Mercedes mentioned that the cause of Val's death was pneumonia.
While the actor appeared in multiple hits, his acting career took a backseat after he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, which resulted in him struggling to speak after undergoing surgery. The late Val Kilmer is survived by his ex-wife Joanna Whalley and kids Mercedes and Jack.
Val married actress Joanna Whalley in 1988 and the duo split in 1996, wherein the two first met on the set of Ron Howard's 1988 movie Willow. Joanna cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason behind the couple's divorce adding that she hoped to work out the issues between them amicably.
Val Kilmer's daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, was born on October 29, 1991, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is an actress and a producer on the Prime Video documentary Val.
His son, Jack Kilmer, was born in June 1995, shortly before Val and Joanna divorced. Like his sister, he worked on Val as an associate producer. Jack has also acted in Pretenders (2018), Josie, Summer 03, and Palo Alto with James Franco.
"At his best, he's the most intelligent": When Val Kilmer's children gave an insight into the late actor's personality
Shortly after Val Kilmer's cancer diagnosis, both his children actively updated the actor's fans about the progress of his health. Additionally, they opened up about their father during an interview with PEOPLE in August 2021 after the actor was declared cancer-free.
Talking about her father's personality, Mercedes Kilmer said:
"At his best, he's the most intelligent, vocal, super witty, funny and all of the good things about speaking. His worst is he loves a good argument. [The damage to his voice] really profoundly altered how he's had to communicate, but he's so smart that he finds ways to communicate outside of it."
Jack Kilmer added:
"He's a guy who wants to go out there and just be the best that he can be and he doesn't have time to think about how vulnerable he is because he's thinking about the next smash-box-office hit. He has crazy energy. He can't be stopped."
Additionally, Val Kilmer's daughter talked about the late actor's battle with throat cancer, stating that the prognosis didn't look positive when he was first diagnosed. Describing her father as "physically resilient", Mercedes said that the way Val Kilmer related to his illness was inspiring.
She added that Val Kilmer would be cracking jokes in the hospital, making the doctors laugh. However, it was difficult for them to undergo the situation with their parent, especially with Val's popularity.
Born on December 31, 1959, in Los Angeles, Val Kilmer made a prominent name for himself in the film industry with roles in Heat, The Saint, Willow, Real Genius, Top Gun, and many more. After his stint with acting, Val lived on a ranch in New Mexico for many years in addition to which he painted and helped with theatre programs for high schoolers.