Val Kilmer Regaining His Voice
- Company Sonantic has compiled old voice clips and audio recordings of actor Val Kilmer in order to bring his voice back to life.
- Kilmer lost his voice after going through a tracheotomy (a surgical procedure that connects the windpipe to a hole in the front of the neck) for throat cancer treatment.
- Throat cancer is a type of head and neck cancer, where cancerous cells start growing in the throat, voice box or tonsils.
According to Sonantic, the company was contacted by Kilmer’s team to see if they could use their artificial intelligence software to recreate Kilmer’s voice for upcoming creative work. The team took up the challenge, and compiled decades worth of audio clips from Kilmer in order to recreate his voice. Kilmer lost his voice after going through a tracheotomy (a surgical procedure that connects the windpipe to a hole in the front of the neck) for throat cancer treatment. His speaking voice was greatly impacted by the surgery, and so this artificial intelligence project understandably meant a lot to the actor.
Read MoreInitially, Kilmer kept his throat cancer battle out of the public eye. However, he’s recently opened up about the journey through various platforms including his memoir I’m Your Huckleberry and recent interviews. His documentary, Val, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and touches on his cancer battle.
Throat Cancer: The Breakdown
Throat cancer is a type of head and neck cancer, where cancerous cells start growing in the throat, voice box, or tonsils. The main causes of the disease include smoking, drinking, a diet lacking fruits or vegetables and acid reflux disease. Currently, there's no annual screening guidelines for throat cancer unlike other types of cancers such as breast, lung, colon, or prostate. That's why recognizing symptoms and consulting your doctor is so important.
What can make throat cancer a tricky disease to diagnose is that many of the symptoms are similar to a common cold. However, there are a few signs that differentiate a possible cancer diagnosis as just a need for some chicken soup and sleep.
Signs may include:
- A persistent cough
- Changes in your voice
- Difficulty swallowing
- Ear pain
- A lump or sore in the neck that will not heal
- A persistent sore throat
- Unexplained weight loss
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