Val Kilmer, who reportedly had a net worth of $10 million, passed away on Tuesday. According to The New York Times, the actor was suffering from pneumonia, which led to his death.
The 65-year-old actor had faced major health challenges that put his promising career on hold. In the 1980s, a young Val Kilmer starred in some of the biggest blockbusters of the decade, which resulted in him amassing considerable wealth. However, his recent health struggles, along with other issues, contributed to a decline in his fortune.
Val Kilmer's fortune decline explored in the wake of the actor's death
Although Val Kilmer's current net worth might still be considerable, it is important to remember that he was one of the highest-paid actors of the 1980s and 1990s. The Top Gun actor reportedly earned $7 million for his role as Batman, $9 million for his role in At First Sight, and $ 6 million for his role in The Island of Dr Moreau, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In a 2016 interview with The Sun, Val Kilmer's cancer diagnosis was revealed by actor Micheal Douglas, who was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2010. The two had previously worked together on the 1996 film, The Ghost and the Darkness:
"Val was a wonderful guy who is dealing with exactly what I had, and things don't look too good for him. My prayers are with him. That's why you haven't heard too much from Val lately," Douglas said.
The Batman Forever actor consistently denied having cancer until 2017 when, during an interview with Deadline, he confirmed his diagnosis. He said:
"The first time I was asked if I had cancer, I answered truthfully that I had no cancer. As I hadn’t. If they had asked, have you had cancer, I would have said, yes, but it’s all healed now. Now, I just have to recover from the treatment from chemo and radiation. Somehow I was accused of not being forthright."
Val Kilmer's medical condition was not the only factor that contributed to his financial decline. The actor went through a divorce from his wife, Joanne Whalley, and was reportedly required to pay $4 million as part of the divorce settlement.
After the actor failed to make child support payments, Whalley filed a claim against his New Mexico property. Around the same time, the Internal Revenue Service also filed a charge against Val Kilmer for unpaid federal taxes.
In an interview with The New York Times in 2020, Kilmer spoke about having to sell his million-dollar property in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He ultimately sold a portion for $18.5 million:
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“I was gambling with being able to maintain the status, and I would’ve won my gamble, except for 2008. I just lost my home like a million other people. It was pretty awful.”
At the time of death, Val Kilmer still owned a portion of his New Mexico ranch. He is survived by his two children from his marriage to Joanne Whalley.
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