Cher gets candid about relationship with ex Val Kilmer after his death

Cher has made some surprising revelation about her ex, Val Kilmer, who passed away on April 1, 2025.

Speakig with People Magazine, Cher revealed that Val never called her by her real name during their relationship.

Cher said that Val had a quirky nickname for her. She said, "He never calls me Cher. He always calls me Ethel."

"Val didn't want to yell Cher, I didn't want to yell Val, so we just called ourselves Sid and Ethel," the legendary singer added.

She said, "And we also called ourselves one other thing, Vallus Maximus and Cherus Reprimandus," adding, "It means what it says. It was just kind of who I was in the household."

The couple, who dated from 1982 to 1984, remained friends after their breakup. In 2020, Cher revealed, "We don't see each other all that often. He always wants me to come down to his studio, but there are a lot of people and I get embarrassed."

"He always wants me to come and do something, and then I just go, 'I can't, Vallus, I just can't.' Or he'll just say, 'Cher, come on,'" she added at the time.

Following Val Kilmer's death on Tuesday, Cher honoured him with a tribute on Instagram.