Tom Cruise gives a heartfelt goodbye to his Paul Newman in the new issue of People magazine, penning a personal essay about his late friend.

The new issue, on stands Friday, features pictures of the two superstars and Tom's letter of love about the man who taught him about life.

"He was bigger than life to me," Tom writes. "But he always had a way of putting us all at ease"

The two met when Tom auditioned for a part in a movie Paul was directing.

Tom didn't get the part, but Paul remembered him and two years later they teamed up in 'The Color Of Money.'

It launched a friendship that would last a quarter of a century. Tom says "he called me cruiser or sometimes kid. We would grab time to hang out whenever we could find it."

Tom closes by saying "his life will forever inspire me. The world has lost an icon; I have lost an idol."