Cher She did not mince words when it came to revealing the ups and downs in her personal and professional relationship with him. Sonny Bono.
In his newly released book, Cher: A Memoir – Part IThe 78-year-old singer compared Bono’s meeting in November 1962 to Mariah and Tony West Side Story“Writing that “everyone else in the room faded away after crossing paths”.
“Sonny definitely caught my attention. I’ve always been interested in drawing people because that’s the kind of people I grew up around,” she wrote. There was a 60s version. It wasn’t love at first sight. I thought this guy was special.
In fact, the two were friends before anything romantic happened. Bono even let Cher, who was 11 years his junior, into his home – but only because he didn’t find her “particularly attractive” at first. He was going through a divorce, and theirs was a strictly platonic relationship, “or perhaps more accurately a father and daughter,” as he wrote.
There’s only one goddess of pop — and she only needs one name: Cher. The legendary singer (born Cherylyn Sarkisian) has had more than five decades in her mega-successful career, spanning the worlds of music, TV, film and fashion. He’s just one Tony Award away from being an EGOT winner. […]
Obviously, things took a turn when the two began a years-long romance and business partnership. While the public believed they had been married for years, the two did not officially marry until 1969, after welcoming son Chaz in March of that year. (Cher tells his son his dead name throughout the book.)
Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations from Cher’s memoir about her relationship with Bono:
They weren’t really married before.
Yes, Cher officially tied the knot with Bono — but after years of public speculation. In October 1964 the couple “told everyone we were legally married”, but this was not entirely true. Cher attributed part of their “appeal” as a couple to their marriage.
“We didn’t lie, but that stuck for years, too,” he recalled.
When they finally got married legally, it was done “quickly and privately so no one would know we were faking our marriage.”
He was controlling about her clothes.
Throughout the chapters about their relationship, Bono’s alleged temper was referenced several times. He won’t let her wear miniskirts and dresses.
“I guess he thought he would sexually assault me too much and compromise our image or attract other men’s attention,” she said. wrote “In a strange way, his jealousy amused me. It seems crazy now – jealousy doesn’t mean love – but it didn’t feel crazy then.”
Breaking his jealousy
This was not the only time Bono’s jealousy was discussed in the book. At one point, Cher admits that they are “slowly giving up” on their relationship.
“He told me that anything a couple couldn’t do together wasn’t worth doing,” she recalled. “I wasn’t even allowed to wear perfume because she didn’t like the smell.”
Cher even compared herself to “a shadow” because of how Bono treated her.
Discovering betrays him
Cher admits she didn’t know Bono had been cheating throughout their relationship — until she witnessed it herself. She recalled the “f—ing cliché” of discovering her husband with his secretary in the middle of the night.
“I could hear noises and whispers,” she wrote. “At that point I knew something was wrong, but kept walking back to my bedroom, when I saw the shadowy figures of Sonny in his new home.” Helping the assistant out the front door.”
She packed a bag and left their house.
“She broke my heart, but you gotta give her an A for effort,” Cher wrote, pleading for Bono to return to her heart. However, she accused him of cheating on her by “not having enough sex with her”.
Hiding their money problems
Bono admitted to Cher that he was “broke” after owing the IRS $270,000 in taxes.
“As someone who didn’t know my ass from the ground up when it came to money, I always felt lucky with Sonny, believing he was sane and smart,” he wrote. “It never occurred to me that he didn’t know enough about finance and might not be the best man for the job.”
Cher may have had a long and successful career — but not without her own personal drama. The Grammy winner dropped out of high school in 1962 to focus on his music and met Sonny Bono soon after. After falling in love – and achieving musical success together – the two tied the knot. […]
Deciding to quit
After a situation that occurred after one of their Las Vegas performances, Cher decided that she and Bono were done. (She slept with one of his guitar players that night.)
“I was still half asleep. [Sonny] came to the side of my bed, lifted my hand, and pulled the wedding ring off my finger,” Cher wrote. “It took me a second to realize what he was doing, but I was too tired to care. “
Because they still had shows, details about Cher and Bono’s split were kept out of the public eye.
Ending their show
Cher decides she wants to end CBS. Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour – which he did in March 1974 after four seasons.
“People were very disappointed,” he wrote. “The people who accused me didn’t really know what it was like to be in my situation or how difficult it was.”
Their legal battle
Cher’s lawyers filed for divorce in 1975, citing “involuntary servitude” because Bono owned 95 percent of Cher Enterprises. At one point in the split, Bono filed for full custody of their child and accused Cher of being “an unfit mother.” This happened when she brought Chaz to the Playboy Mansion to see the pet monkeys and play in the pool. (The judge ultimately ruled in Cher’s favor.)
Their divorce was finalized on 27 June 1975. Bono died in 1998 at the age of 62 after a skiing accident.
