Cher has broken her silence following the death of her former boyfriend, Val Kilmer, offering a heartfelt tribute to the late actor, who passed away at the age of 65 on April 1 due to pneumonia.
The legendary singer and actress took to Twitter to share her memories and deep affection for Kilmer, whom she dated from 1982 to 1984. In her message, Cher remembered him as funny, wild, complicated—but above all, a great friend.
“VALUS
Will miss u, U Were Funny, crazy, pain in the a**, GREAT FRIEND, kids [heart] U.
BRILLIANT as Mark Twain.
BRAVE here during ur sickness.”
Kilmer and Cher first met at a birthday party in the early 1980s. Though their romantic relationship was brief, they remained close friends in the decades that followed. Cher reportedly supported Kilmer throughout his battle with throat cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2014—long after their romantic chapter ended. His treatments included chemotherapy, radiation, and a tracheostomy that left his vocal cords permanently damaged.
Despite those health challenges, Kilmer returned to the screen in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick for a poignant cameo, his voice recreated using AI. The scene honored both the character of Iceman and Kilmer’s real-life resilience.
In a November 2024 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Cher reflected on her time with Kilmer, calling him one of the great loves of her life. “I was madly in love,” she admitted. “Sometimes you’re only meant to stay with someone so long, and Val was like—he was really young.”
Cher also previously addressed the age gap between them—she was 13 years his senior—saying that younger men weren’t intimidated by her, and if not for them, “I would never have had a date.”
Their relationship, as she described in a 2021 interview, was rooted in humor, chemistry, and mutual respect. “We laughed at the same things constantly,” she said. “It went from madly in love and laughing hysterically to respecting each other’s ability.”
As fans across the globe continue to mourn Kilmer’s death, Cher’s tribute stands as a moving reminder of the personal impact he had on those closest to him—not just as a Hollywood star, but as a loyal friend, a brilliant artist, and a man of deep courage.