Cher

Cheryl Sarkisian, better known as Cher, is an American singer, actress, and cultural icon renowned for her powerful contralto voice, bold style, and career longevity. She rose to fame in the 1960s as half of Sonny & Cher with hits like "I Got You Babe," while also launching a successful solo career with classics such as "Bang Bang," "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves," and "If I Could Turn Back Time." Her 1998 hit "Believe" pioneered the mainstream use of Auto-Tune and earned her a Grammy.

Nicknamed the "Goddess of Pop," Cher has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling female artists of all time. She's the only artist with a number-one hit on a Billboard chart in six consecutive decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s.

Cher also found success in film, winning an Oscar for Moonstruck (1987) and earning acclaim in Silkwood, Mask, The Witches of Eastwick, and Burlesque. Her roles often reflect her off-screen image: strong, independent, and outspoken.

She’s received a Grammy, Emmy, Oscar, three Golden Globes, a Cannes award, the Billboard Icon Award, and honors from the Kennedy Center and the CFDA. A passionate activist, Cher has supported LGBTQ+ rights, HIV/AIDS causes, and progressive political movements.

With a career spanning six decades, Cher remains a dynamic and influential figure in entertainment and pop culture.

Cher faced many challenges in her early life, but had a passion for becoming famous.

• She was born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946, in El Centro, California.
• She faced financial difficulties, and Cher later recalled having to use rubber bands to keep her shoes from falling apart.
• By fifth grade, Cher organized a class performance of the musical Oklahoma!, stepping into male roles when the boys refused to participate.
• By the age of nine, her voice was notably deep for a young girl.
• Fascinated by film stars, she idolized Audrey Hepburn—particularly her role in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)—and often imitated Hepburn's character’s unconventional style and demeanor.
• She also admired Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, and Katharine Hepburn but felt discouraged by the lack of dark-haired actresses in Hollywood.
• Despite dreaming of fame, Cher struggled with feelings of inadequacy, seeing herself as "unattractive" and “untalented.”
• In 1961, Georgia Holt married bank manager Gilbert LaPiere, who adopted Cher (under the name Cheryl LaPiere) and her half-sister Georganne.
• He enrolled them at Montclair College Preparatory School, a private school in Encino, California.
• Coming from a modest background, Cher struggled to fit into the upper-class environment.
• However, as biographer Connie Berman noted, her "striking appearance" and "outgoing personality" made her stand out.
• Cher was known for her creativity and sharp wit, excelling in French and English but struggling with other subjects.
• She later discovered she had dyslexia, which contributed to her academic difficulties.
• Her unconventional nature also set her apart—she performed songs for classmates during lunch and once shocked her peers by wearing a midriff-baring top.
• At 16, Cher dropped out of school and moved out of her mother's house to live with a friend.
• She took acting classes and supported herself by dancing in nightclubs along Hollywood's Sunset Strip, where she networked with performers, managers, and agents.

Cher has had a dynamic and complex family life.

• Her father, John Sarkisian, was an Armenian-American truck driver who struggled with drug and gambling issues and was largely absent during her early years.
• Her mother, Georgia Holt, was a model and actress of Irish, English, German, and Cherokee descent.
• Cher's paternal grandparents were survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
• When Cher was just ten months old, her parents divorced.
• Before leaving, her father placed her in an orphanage for several months, where her mother was only allowed to visit once a week, seeing Cher only through a window.
• Both mother and daughter found the experience deeply traumatic.
• In 1951, Georgia Holt married actor John Southall, with whom she had Cher's half-sister, Georganne.
• Their marriage ended when Cher was nine years old.
• Cher later described Southall as her "real father," a kind man who became belligerent when he drank too much.
• Holt remarried and divorced multiple times, frequently relocating the family to different states, including New York, Texas, and California.
• While living in Los Angeles, Holt pursued an acting career while working as a waitress, occasionally landing minor television roles for her daughters in shows like The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
• Cher met Sonny Bono in November 1962 while he was working for record producer Phil Spector.
• Cher and Sonny developed a close friendship that eventually turned romantic.
• On October 27, 1964, they held an unofficial wedding ceremony in a hotel room in Tijuana, Mexico.
• Later, they officially married after Cher gave birth to Chaz Bono on March 4, 1969.
• On June 30, 1975, just four days after finalizing her divorce from Sonny Bono, Cher married rock musician Gregg Allman, co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band.
• They had been dating since January, shortly after Cher ended her relationship with David Geffen.
• However, just nine days later, she filed for divorce due to Allman’s struggles with heroin and alcohol.
• Despite this, they reconciled within a month.
• The couple later welcomed their son, Elijah Blue Allman, on July 10, 1976.
• Cher had romantic relationships with actors Val Kilmer, Eric Stoltz, and Tom Cruise; hockey player Ron Duguay; film producer Josh Donen; and Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora.
• She also dated Rob Camilletti, a bagel baker 18 years her junior, from 1986 to 1989.