An undeniable icon for sixty years, Cher has seen fashions come and gone, and has established herself as a timeless star. She published her memoirs, “Cher, the Autobiography” (Harper Collins), in which she looks back on her relationship with Sonny Bono, her pygmalion.
It all began when she was 16, in 1962. After a chaotic childhood, alternating between middle class and poverty following her mother's remarriages – 6 marriages according to her, 8 according to her sister, Cherilyn Sarkisian moved to Hollywood with dreams eyes full of glitter. She squats on the sofa of dancer friends who make her understand that she should settle elsewhere, and meets a certain Salvatore Bono in a bar. The man, nicknamed Sonny, is 27 years old and works for producer Phil Spector. Sonny is going through a divorce, and lives in a small apartment. He offers Cher to stay at his place for free, telling the teenager that he has twin beds, in exchange for a few hours of cleaning. He also reassures her, she shouldn't worry since he doesn't find her attractive. But by living together, Cher and Sonny become closer to the point of falling in love.
A fake marriage for the public
In 1963, Sonny insisted to Phil Spector that Cher be one of the Ronettes' backing singers on the now cult title “Be My Baby”. The following year, he composed several songs for her and paid for the recording of her first 45 rpm out of his own pocket. The radio reception was rather positive, but it was as a duo that they exploded. In 1965, they released the single “I Got You Baby” which shot to number one in the charts around the world. And on the heart side, their story develops. The public believes this married couple, and yet, in her memoir, Cher reveals that wasn't entirely true. Officially, the couple had married in 1964 in Tijuana, Mexico, after Sonny's divorce. A cover to please the public. In reality, the couple said “I do” in 1969, pushed by their lawyers, during a quick ceremony in their Hollywood villa. “The ceremony had to be quick and private so that no one would find out that we were pretending to be married the whole time. At that time, telling the truth would have ended our careers. It only lasted a few minutes. Sonny returned to the office right after. » The same year, they welcomed their only child together, Chaz, a trans man. The duo ends the 60s acclaimed, but the arrival of the 70s will undermine their success and especially their love.
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Deceptions and fits of jealousy
In parallel with her career with her husband, Cher also explores solo music. She has a string of hits and more mixed successes. And it is on television that the duo will find their audience. In 1971, they launched “Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour”, an entertainment show in which they hosted major artists of the day who sang and acted. The show, broadcast on CBS, was a great success. But in private, nothing is going well between Sonny and Cher. During tours, as the singer reveals in her autobiography, Sonny forbade musicians from speaking to Cher. At the same time, he cheats on his wife, who must endure his terrible attacks of jealousy. “Dancers, actresses, waitresses, even prostitutes… I don’t know how he found the time! “, she remembers. When she starts taking tennis lessons, he opposes them by burning her sports clothes in the garden. But above all, he exercises economic violence on her. He rearranges his partner's contracts, she becomes an employee of the company which bears his name, and receives no salary. The couple was doing so badly that in 1972, while they were performing in residence in Las Vegas, in their hotel room equipped with a balcony, Cher thought about committing suicide. “I was barefoot on the balcony of our suite and looked at the ground. I was dizzy with loneliness. I realized it would be very easy to throw myself off the edge and simply disappear. For a few crazy minutes, I saw no other option. » Several nights in a row, Cher returns to that balcony, and considers the idea of jumping. Until the day she has a revelation, as she explains in her memoir: “I don't need to jump, I can just leave him. »
A new solo life
In 1974, Cher announced to Sonny that she was leaving him, and that she would like to sleep with Bill, their guitarist – which she actually did. Upon learning this, he thought about pushing her off the balcony, convinced that he would have escaped. “I would have pleaded insanity, I would have gotten seven years in prison, then an offer to write a book and my own show,” he confessed to her, as she recalls in her book. Cher calls this conversation the “darkest” moment of their marriage. But to keep up appearances, Cher and Sonny continue to live together and make people believe in the solidity of their union for the sake of their show. Cher has lovers, Sonny has girlfriends whom he brings to their house. He pays private detectives to find out everything about Cher, and even offers money to the singer's psychologist to reveal Cher's secrets to him on the couch. They continued the projects together for a while. “Our relationship was weird. When he wasn't being an asshole, Sonny Bono was so much fun I could almost like him. »
Eventually, the couple separated, and Cher pursued a solo career, becoming a fashion muse thanks to her collaboration with Bob Mackie, a queer icon, and a timeless figure in music. She regains control of her finances, her loves, returns solo on television. Now 78 years old, Cher has never been more popular.
For his part, after his divorce from Cher, Sonny Bono tried to launch a career as an actor, then became a politician by being elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican. He died in 1998 following a skiing accident, at the age of 63. At his funeral, Cher is present to bid him farewell, and gives a speech in tribute to her first love.
