Val Kilmer has been pretty open about his relationship status these days — he's been single for years and admits it can often get lonely. But in focusing on his health — and his latest documentary — he's got a lot to occupy his time.
His relationship status wasn't always that way. He's had countless Hollywood relationships in the past. But one of the most interesting pairings was with Cher. While they're both icons today, Val was just starting out when they got together, and Cher, already established as a pop music star, was making her acting breakthrough in films.
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The couple dated between 1982 and 1984. The relationship, according to Cher, was electric. In fact, according to Entertainment Tonight, Cher said, "when we kissed, I thought my head would shoot right off my body." And as it turns out, she still thinks of him fondly.
According to People, Cher thinks back to those dating years quite fondly. "He's like nobody I've ever known," she admitted. "He is exasperating and hysterical. Thrilling and funny, and doesn't do what anyone else does."
She admits that they didn't make a point to stay friends after their breakup — they just naturally stayed in touch. "I don't know how we stayed friends, we just did. We didn't try. We just were," she said. It seems they both knew they had a special connection. And it seems like she remembers every moment.
"We called ourselves Sid and Ethel," she said. "Val didn't want to yell 'Cher' and I didn't want to yell 'Val.' We also called ourselves Valus Maximus and Cherus Reprimandus. It was just kind of who I was in the household. Of course he was Maximus, come on."
The two met due to a mutual acquaintance. "I met him at a birthday party my friend was having for me," she explained. "She said, 'I invited this guy and I think either you or my friend who's an editor will like him.' We became friends because we laughed at the same things constantly. He would sleep over and it was just a friendship [at first]. That took a long time. Well, I guess not really a long time."
She said that Val wasn't afraid to talk to her about anything, and he seemed to have such an eclectic taste that she figured it wouldn't work out. There was also an age gap, with Cher being older than Val.
"The truth was if I hadn't gone out with younger men, I would have never had a date," Cher admitted. "Younger men weren't intimidated by older women. But older men in my age category, they weren't having it."
Another thing that attracted Cher to Val was the fact that he was always so welcoming with her children. "He was so good with my kids," she said. "He used to let Elijah drive the truck on his property. He couldn't even see over the dashboard. He might have been nine. He wouldn't be ashamed or think it was anything. He was a free spirit."
She said that they both had such strong personalities. That might have led to their eventual breakup, knowing that they weren't necessarily the best fit regardless of the love they had for each other.
"He stretches every boundary," Cher said. "We had unbelievable times and then put up with some times when they weren't [that way] because we were both Alpha males. We were both individuals and neither of us was going to give up on that."
But their ability to communicate was always perfect. They even had similar senses of humor. "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," Cher admitted. "He would just go off and do his own thing and you just had to be prepared. And he was so beautiful. It went from madly in love and laughing hysterically to respecting each other's ability."
Cher made a point to say that Val is one of the special people you drop everything for. "He's an artist," she said. "He can be a brat too but you forgive him. You forgive him everything. Even when I was angry, it was still a joy. If he called, it wouldn't matter where I was, I would go."
And that's when she admitted she still had feelings for him. She was one of the people Val trusted with his diagnosis, so she saw him getting sick firsthand — which must have been extra painful, due to their long and beautiful history.
"I loved him — and I love him," she said.
She also said that she wrote him a note using their old pet names for each other after seeing his documentary, Val. The documentary is about his life and really digs into his past and present. Since Val was quiet about his diagnosis at first, it seems like a wonderful way to sum up his life on his own terms.
The connection they share is a good reminder that exes can be friends — and sometimes just having someone with such a dynamic personality in your life is enough. Knowing they didn't have a messy breakup is endearing, and the fact that they're still close — despite the pressures of their fame in Hollywood — is something they should both be proud of.
