Val Kilmer was planning a night out before fate took hold.
The Batman star, who died April 1 at age 65, was expected to make an appearance at the opening night of the Beverly Hills Film Festival on the evening of his passing, according to event organizers.
“It was a shock to find this out,” festival founder and president Nino Simone said in a statement obtained by E! News April 2. “We had just confirmed Val to attend the west coast premiere of American Badass: A Michael Madsen Retrospective this past weekend.”
Simone—who noted the actor was “thrilled” to come out and support friend Michael Madsen—went on to say he learned of Kilmer’s passing as the festival’s PR team was anticipating his arrival on the red carpet.
“The story and news of his death were reported literally at the same exact time,” he continued. “Unbelievable, and so heartbreaking. Our hearts go out to his family.”
E! News has reached out to a rep for Kilmer for comment but has not heard back.
Hours before the festival kickoff, the actor’s daughter Mercedes Kilmer confirmed his death to the New York Times, sharing that he died of pneumonia. She also confirmed he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered from the illness.
Kilmer previously discussed his cancer journey in April 2020, noting that despite being “healed” from the disease, his voice had become noticeably raspier as a result of his treatment.
“I feel a lot better than I sound, but I feel wonderful,” he told Good Morning America at the time. “This is a tracheotomy to help me breathe, because the glands in my throat swelled up as well.”
But through his health battle, he retained a sense of humor about the situation.
“You may notice I sound like I have a frog in my throat. It’s not. It’s a buffalo,” he joked in a post on Instagram prior to the TV appearance. “Though being healed from cancer, I am slowly and surely regaining my speech. As I haven’t let the adversity stifle my voice as an artist.”
Keep scrolling to see photos from Kilmer’s remarkable life.
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