Val Kilmer’s official cause of death has been revealed as pneumonia but new details have also emerged.

The actor, best known for his roles in Top Gun, The Doors, and Batman Forever, died aged 65 on April 1 in Los Angeles from what was thought to have been pneumonia.

On Thursday (US time), the news was confirmed.

Celebrity gossip websiteTMZ obtained a copy of Kilmer’s death certificate, revealing the “immediate cause” of his death was the inflammatory condition of the lung. It also confirmed that “acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure, and squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue” were all underlying factors.

Other factors included “malnutrition, and a tracheocutaneous” fistula.

TMZ said the Hollywood star was cremated on Monday.

His cause of death was originally confirmed by his daughter Mercedes Kilmer, who disclosed the information to The New York Times newspaper.

Mercedes also noted that Kilmer had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, but later recovered from the disease.

The actor made his movie debut in 1984 spy spoof Top Secret but was best known for his portrayals of the late rocker Jim Morrison in 1991 biopic The Doors, the Caped Crusader in Batman Forever, and Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in 1986’s Top Gun.

Kilmer’s final movie appearance was in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, where he reprised his role as Iceman and shared a brief and “emotional” moment with co-star Tom Cruise.

“I just want to say that was pretty emotional,” Cruise told talk show host Jimmy Kimmel in 2023.

“I’ve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character… he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again.”

By the time Top Gun: Maverick was in production, Kilmer was unable to speak due to his long battle with throat cancer. His voice was recreated using AI technology that analysed hours of archival recordings.

-with AAP