Cher pays tribute to her 'brave' ex-lover Val Kilmer

Cher has paid tribute to her "crazy and brave" ex-partner Val Kilmer following his death.

On Tuesday, the actor's daughter Mercedes Kilmer confirmed the Top Gun star had passed away from pneumonia aged 65.

Since news broke of his passing, tributes have flooded in from across Hollywood, with his former lover Cher the latest to share her grief.

"VALUS Will miss u. U Were funny, crazy, pain in the ass, GREAT FRIEND, kids love U," she wrote on her X account on Wednesday. "BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness."

Cher dated Kilmer from 1982 to 1984, with the pair's 13-year age gap causing a stir at the time.

While promoting her memoir last year, 78-year-old Cher revealed that she had been "madly in love" with the Tombstone star and was left devastated when he ended their romance.

During the interview with Howard Stern, Cher was asked why Kilmer had left her and replied: "Because sometimes you're only meant to stay with someone so long... he was really young."

Kilmer went on to marry actress Joanne Whalley in 1988, with the pair welcoming two children before they divorced in 1996.

In 2014, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent chemotherapy and two tracheotomies. Following a procedure on his trachea, The Doors star had to use an electric voice box to speak.

Kilmer remained friends with Cher after their relationship ended, and in his memoir, he paid tribute to her unwavering support when he was hospitalised during his health battle.