Val Kilmer’s final Instagram post came just weeks before his death.
The 65-year-old Top Gun and Batman Forever star died of pneumonia yesterday (April 1).
After receiving therapy, including a tracheostomy that damaged the actor’s vocal cords, Kilmer recovered from throat cancer in 2014.
With his sickness in mind, Kilmer transitioned away from the film business and decided to express his creativity via painting.
In the 2022 release of Top Gun: Maverick, Kilmer reprised his iconic Iceman role.
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Much of Kilmer’s Instagram feed reflected his passion for painting, which had been his primary artistic outlet in his final years.
His final post featured a snapshot of one of his paintings. Kilmer captioned the photo, “It’s got that late-night glow.” The image features cool tones and a low flame, reminiscent of a campfire dying down while you remain alert.
Kilmer went on to describe the scale of the sculpture and invited visitors to his website to purchase it.
He shared the message on March 22, just a few weeks before his death.
On February 23, his most recent post featured him alongside fellow artist, singer, and Beef actor David Choe.
In the first video in the post, Kilmer showed Choe before propping up his phone and donning a modern-looking Batman mask.
“It’s been a while,” the actor joked with Choe before putting it on.
He then proceeded to display some Batman paintings. The artist behind it is supposedly Choe.
On Kilmer’s website, in a first-person blog, the late actor revealed why he shifted his focus to art.
The poem, which appeared in April 2022, introduced me as Val Kilmer. I am an artist. I have led a fantastic life.
“For more than a half-century, I’ve been developing my craft, no matter the media. I aspire to express my creative energy via books, film, poetry, art, music, and chasing rare and gorgeous species in the most isolated African jungle, capturing fleeting moments with a camera.”
Kilmer said he couldn’t be in public as he used to because his voice cords were destroyed during cancer treatment.
With these thoughts in mind, his ‘creative juices were boiling over,’ so he resumed painting.
“I felt the art healing me,” Kilmer continued to write.