Val Kilmer fueled nostalgia in his final Instagram post just weeks before his death at 65.
Kilmer died after a battle with pneumonia on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter Mercedes confirmed.
In a video shared on his social media account, Kilmer could be seen sitting next to a painting he made of Batman — which served as one of his most successful roles in his decades-long career.
In the clip, shared with his 645,000 followers on Instagram, the actor declares he is “ready” before grabbing a Batman mask and donning it for the last time.
“It’s been a while,” he quipped as he got into character, before turning to the camera for a final look.
Artist David Choe, who sat near the actor in the video, could be heard complimenting how “great” Kilmer looked in his mask.
Kilmer was cast in Joel Schumacher’s 1995 hit “Batman Forever” after actor Michael Keaton had dropped out.
The film went on to become a box office smash, grossing over $336 million.
“Everything was different about this job than I’d experienced before. The size of the character and how strange it was that Michael Keaton had decided not to do it — I just said yes, without reading the script,” Kilmer told Entertainment Tonight in 1995.
In his final social media post, shared just over a week ago on March 22, Kilmer unveiled one of his last artworks that he uploaded for purchase on his website.
“It’s got that late-night glow. Cool tones with a low burn, like when the camp fire cools down but you’re still wide awake,” he captioned the Instagram post.
The comments section of the actor’s final post was flooded with tributes from heartbroken fans following the news of his death.
“Rest in Peace, Val,” one fan wrote. “Thank you for your art, your heart, your spirit, your boldness, your depth, your humanity. Thank you for being part of my childhood into manhood. From Real Genius to Top Secret and everything in between – you are a part of my and many others fondest memories.”
Another added, “Thank you for making my childhood so much fun with Real Genius, Thunderheart, The Ghost and the Darkness, and of course Top Gun and Batman.”
“RIP Val, you were my introduction to Batman, thank you for art,” a third wrote.
