Val Kilmer emerges with surprisingly touching David Bowie tribute

'Instead of saying hello, I just started petting his shoulders.'

Val Kilmer - you know, the guy from Top Gun, The Saint, Heat etc - has come out as a massive David Bowie fan.

You might have expected him to be more of a Foreigner, Journey et al kind of guy, but it turns out the action movie star is a huge fan of avant garde rocker Bowie, who passed away today, with Val sharing a very touching anecdote on Facebook about a meeting with him:

'The last time I saw David Bowie was in Brooklyn, with some very very lucky people who got to hear Lou Reed play his dark glory, BERLIN, live. He was sitting directly in front of me with Lou's wife, Laurie Anderson, who had recently visited my ranch in New Mexico with Lou. When we said hello he turned and I recognized him instantly. Instead of saying hello, I just started petting his shoulders. I can't describe it any more accurately. He was just so special it was the only way I seemed to be able to express my joy. I haven't petted that many men in my life. I'm so glad I got to do that. And more importantly, that he let me. He just smiled as I apologized for petting him. He seemed to not only understand, but accept the strange offering of gratitude and recognition. And suddenly, the spell was broken as he focused intensely on the stage, realizing before any of us, that the historic show was about to begin. BERLIN was a particularly important record to him as he said many times, and he prized his friendship with Lou, as Lou was a very very challenging dude. But we all wanted to be as cool as David. Even Lou. He was the always, always the coolest guy in the room. And he was a master singer - song writer. God bless David Bowie.'

The last time I saw David Bowie was in Brooklyn, with some very very lucky people who got to hear Lou Reed play his dark...

Posted by Val Kilmer on Sunday, January 10, 2016

Bowie, who died at the age of 69 following a battle with cancer, was also remembered on Facebook by his long-serving producer Tony Visconti, who explained how Bowie's latest album, Blackstar, was intended as a "parting gift".