The Real Reason Val Kilmer Called It Quits With Cher

Cher and Val Kilmer struck up an instant connection from the moment they first laid eyes on each other. Speaking to People in 2021, the "Believe" hitmaker shared that her friend threw her a birthday party back in the 1980s and made it extra special by inviting Kilmer along. Cher fondly recalled how they bonded over their similar sense of humor and quickly became friends. However, their relationship blossomed into a romance before they knew it. The Grammy winner admitted that it remained incredibly dear to her heart, reasoning, "Our sense of humor, and what we would put up with from one another, was more than I think I've ever had with any other guy." She also noted that they were in awe of each other's talent. Unfortunately, their solid foundation wasn't strong enough to stand the test of time. 

While discussing her starry relationship history on "The Howard Stern Show," in 2024, the "If I Could Turn Back Time" hitmaker acknowledged that it was rare for her to ever be the one to get dumped. However, the "Top Gun" star completely broke her heart, with Cher confessing, "I was madly in love with Val Kilmer, and he left [...] because sometimes you're only meant to stay with someone for so long. Val was really young." It's worth noting that the couple has a 13-year age gap, with the singer being in her 30s at the time while her beau was in his early 20s. Ultimately, though, no amount of heartache could tear Cher apart from Kilmer, and the pair eventually returned to their roots and became close friends again.

During Cher's 2021 People interview, she also noted that her bond with Val Kilmer was so strong that they remained close after their split without ever really having to try. As a result, the former couple stuck by each other's sides through thick and thin. In Kilmer's 2020 memoir, "I'm Your Huckleberry" he recalled how the "Moonstruck" star had been a pillar of support for him after he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015. The actor frequented Cher's lavish California mansion throughout his treatment and even stayed in her guest home several times. However, one night, Kilmer fell seriously ill and woke up coughing up blood, and paramedics had to be called to nurse him back to health. Although the situation was obviously grave, both the Oscar winner and Kilmer noticed that one of the paramedics was extremely attractive and he used the opportunity to make her crack up. 

"Despite the fact that I was covered in blood, I caught her eye and bounced my brows like Groucho Marx. Hubba hubba," Kilmer hilariously penned, per Express. "Cher was bashful to be busted but then couldn't help laughing out loud at the audacity." Soon, the "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" star started seeing the funny side, too, and he continued laughing until the paramedics put an oxygen mask around the actor's mouth. Cher and Kilmer's friendship evidently didn't falter through the years either as she took to X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2021 to encourage her millions of fans to watch Kilmer's documentary "Val" and hear some of his most candid confessions about his extraordinary life.