Throwback: When Val Kilmer Denied Michael Douglas' Claims About His Throat Cancer; Know Truth Amid Batman Star’s Death at 65

Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.

Val Kilmer died at the age of 65 after battling pneumonia. Amid the passing away of the veteran actor, here’s looking back at when the actor denied Michael Douglas’ claims of battling throat cancer.

The late movie star and Douglas starred together in the 1996 movie, The Ghost and the Darkness. Nearly a decade after working together, the Basic Instinct star revealed to the media portal that Kilmer had been ill and was diagnosed with the disease. 

However, back in 2016, the Batman Forever actor denied the claims and shared that he had only contacted his co-star for the referral of a specialist to get a lump in his throat treated. 

In his throwback post shared on his Facebook account, the late actor shared a clarification where he wrote, "I love Michael Douglas but he is misinformed.” He further stated, "The last time I spoke to [Douglas] was almost two years ago when I asked him for a referral for a specialist to get a diagnosis for a lump in my throat.”

Though the actor had denied the claims, he revealed that he was suffering from a swollen tongue, due to which he was rehabbing steadily. Further in his caption for the post, Kilmer added, "I ended up using a team at UCLA [University of California, Los Angeles] and have no cancer whatsoever."

In 2017, however, the late movie star confirmed with People Magazine that he had been recovering from throat cancer. The media portal also shared in 2021 that he had undergone a tracheostomy that permanently damaged his voice. 

Taking to his website, the Top Gun actor updated his fans about his health and wrote, "I am improving all the time but am not able to be out in the world the same way I had become accustomed." 

Following his cancer, the actor went on to star in multiple projects, while also reprising his role of Tom Kazansky in Top Gun: Maverick.

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