Val Kilmer’s tragic death has fans questioning the late actor’s much-discussed beliefs in Christian Science. The Top Gun star recently breathed his last, passing away at the age of 65 following a prolonged battle with throat cancer. While Kilmer engaged in several medical procedures over the years to cure his ailment, the actor almost went another way due to his religious philosophy.
Here’s everything you need to know regarding the late actor’s views about Christian Science and how they affected his treatment process.
Val Kilmer’s journey as a Christian Scientist explained
The actor, who famously portrayed the Dark Knight in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever, was a devoted Christian Scientist throughout his life.
Believers of the said notion, despite viewing God as an omnipresent being, do not consider him to be the creator of the material world. Most importantly, Christian Scientists perceive diseases and ailments as errors of the mind and give precedence to spiritual healing in favor of modern medicine.
Val Kilmer, a staunch believer in Christian Science, had a similar viewpoint about his ailment as well. He preferred to cure his cancer through praying and taking the assistance of a spiritual advisor, much to the dismay of his family. Nevertheless, Kilmer ultimately decided to follow a more traditional method of treatment and underwent several prescribed surgeries, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and tracheostomy, to reassure his family members, as per Metro.
Despite forgoing the solutions prescribed in Christian Science, Kilmer noted previously that the treatment he ended up following gave him more pain than the cancer itself. The intense treatment, which included surgeries, ended up damaging his vocal cords and also forced him to eat through a tube. In an Amazon documentary about his ailment, Kilmer explained his predicament, stating, “I can’t speak without plugging this hole [in my throat]. You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat.”
Having received his cancer diagnosis back in 2014, Val Kilmer declared in 2020 that he had been cancer-free for four years. However, the actor continued having health complications over the years and passed away from pneumonia on April 1, 2025.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on ComingSoon.net.
