Cher spoke about her first marriage to Sonny Bono on a recent CBS Sunday Morning episode. They met after her fling with Warren Beaty in the early ‘60s, and the would-be goddess of Pop was only 17 at the time.
Cher admitted that she lied about her age, telling Bono that she was 18. She ended up having to confess that her birthday was the following month, but their relationship continued unaffected. Cher’s mother, Georgia Holt, was furious and threatened Bono upon learning about their romance.
Cher’s mom wanted to put Sonny Bono in jail
Georgia told Bono she was going to send him to jail for dating her minor daughter, but that did not happen as the duo got married in 1964. They did music together and had their first and only child, Chaz Bono, who is getting married soon.
Cher filed for divorce in 1974, accusing Bono of putting her under involuntary servitude by holding on to her rightful earnings. The divorce was messy as they fought for custody of Chaz, which eventually went to Cher.
Insider Cher and Sonny Bono’s controversial relationship
Bono did not like Cher at first or find her attractive, but their constant meetups blossomed into a relationship. She said their age gap was never obvious, as Bono was playful and friendly. He also considered her expectations convenient because older women wanted him to act grown.
The good times did not last so long as their marriage became ridden with infidelity, lies, and emotional abuse. Cher noted in her memoir, Cher: The Memoir Part One, that she lost so much weight working for him in her twenties. She nearly committed suicide in a Las Vegas hotel room at 26 in a bid to get away from Bono’s control. Bono died from a skiing accident in 1998 after serving a two-year term as a congressman.