Cher And Val Kilmer's Past Relationship, Explained

Cher loves an age-gap romance, particularly when she is on the upper end. The star has an on-and-off romance with Alexander Edwards, a music executive 40 years younger than she, and her long list of exes includes actor Tom Cruise (16 years her junior), bagel maker Rob Camilletti (18 years her junior), and Richie Sambora (14 years her junior). Then there is Val Kilmer, who Cher was head-over-heels for before he ended their two-year relationship in 1984. Despite not working out as a couple, the legendary star has remained friends with the 13-years-younger Kilmer and even housed him during his cancer battle.

Never one to be boxed in by societal norms, the "I've Got You Babe" singer was one of the first women in Hollywood to step out with a significantly younger man, proudly and boldly. She has, of course, dated men her age and older — for instance, Cher was only 15 the first time she kissed Warren Beatty, who was almost a decade her senior — but aside from her ex-husbands, it has been her younger paramours that have garnered Cher the most attention. "It was a bigger deal back then," she told People of her 1980s dating habits. "The truth was if I hadn't gone out with younger men, I would have never had a date. Younger men weren't intimidated by older women." Cher's time with Kilmer has received particularly ample attention, as he was one of her great loves. Here is a deeper look at Cher and Val Kilmer's past relationship, which both stars remember fondly. 

Cher met actor Val Kilmer when he showed up at her birthday party in the early 1980s after her friend thought they might hit it off. The pair bonded over their shared sense of humor and struck up a quick friendship, which turned to romance despite their 13-year age gap. From Cher's perspective, however, Kilmer was much different than his young age of 22. "He'd tell me about his dreams. He took me to a Japanese performance of Macbeth and I was thinking 'this guy is nuts, we're not going to get along at all.' He was so young," the star recalled to People. 

The duo officially became an item in 1982, integrating lives the way people do in serious relationships. In a 2024 appearance on "The Howard Stern Show," Cher admitted that she was "madly in love" with Kilmer, with whom she said that she had amazing sex and shared a true connection. She has in the past praised Kilmer's artistry, free-spirited nature, hilarity, and physical beauty. 

The "Strong Enough" singer was also impressed by the way the younger actor bonded with her children. "One New Year's Eve, we didn't want to go anywhere so he bought a bunch of art supplies back to the house and we all did art all night long with the kids, one of the best New Year's Eves of my life," she told People.

Val Kilmer broke things off with Cher in 1984 after two years of dating. While there is no one definitive reason for the split, Cher has alluded to multiple contributing factors, including how young Kilmer was at the time and the fact that they were "both Alpha males" (via People). "Sometimes you're only meant to stay with someone so long," the "Believe" singer told Howard Stern.

Despite their split, it is clear that the duo retained great love and respect for one another — and they are still friends, even now. "Cher. Former girlfriend. Forever friend. Funniest woman I ever met. A consummate artist who displays the attributes of a child, teenager, and sagacious adult all at once. Once Cher works her way inside your head and heart, she never leaves," Kilmer wrote in his memoir "I'm Your Huckleberry."

Cher and Kilmer remained so close that the "Top Gun" actor even set up shop in the singer's guest house in 2015, during the worst days of his throat cancer ordeal. Kilmer later offered fans a behind-the-scenes look at his grueling cancer battle in the candid 2021 documentary "Val," and Cher could not have been prouder. "He's a true artist and Renaissance man. He was sick and it didn't stop him. He created an extension of his art and his life," she told People. "Even the worst things, he wanted to be in the documentary because he wanted to show you who he was."