What happened to Val Kilmer and ex wife Joanne Whalley after meeting on set

Film fans were devastated on Wednesday morning after the confirmation Top Gun and Batman star at the age of 65. The Hollywood icon had previously beaten cancer, but , his daughter confirmed.

Val leaves behind two children, and son Jack, both of whom followed their parents' footsteps in the of acting. He shared his kids with ex-wife, Joanne Whalley. But what happened with the acting couple and why did their marriage break down?

Val Kilmer married British-born actress after they met on the set of Ron Howard’s 1988 children’s fantasy film Willow. They quickly began dating shortly after and tied the knot in 1988.

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Following their marriage, Joanne moved to to be with her man and changed her name to Joanne Whalley-Kilmer.

Joanne also featured in films such as The Virgin Queen and A Texas Funeral, while she was on the small screen in series including The Edge of Darkness and .

She also shared the screen with Val on four occasions, including Willow and Kill Me Again. They split in 1995, with Joanne citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their divorce.

According to The Times, the pair's marriage struggled due to "constant rumours about his on-set romances" and Val's sex symbol status.

Despite their divorce, the couple continued to co-parent and they even starred together two more times after their separation, featuring on Played in 2006 and Twixt in 2011.

However, their marriage ended in heartbreak eight years later. Kilmer reportedly "learned he was getting a divorce while watching CNN in a hotel room," according to the Tampa Bay Times. They quoted the star as saying the revelation was "no fun".

He told the publication his divorce was "the second most expensive in New Mexico" and came "only two months after the birth of their second child."

Despite being linked with a number of famous women in the industry, Val opened up about his "lonely" love life in his memoir. He revealed in 2020: "I haven’t had a girlfriend in 20 years. The truth is I am lonely part of every day."

Val had previously dated the likes of , Cindy Crawford and Chef. However, he admitted actress

Tributes for Val poured in following the sad news of his death. Among them was the official Top Gun /X account, which posted: "Remembering Val Kilmer, whose indelible cinematic mark spanned genres and generations. RIP Iceman."

Fans also took to his t to share messages of condolence.

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