Cher Through the Years: From Sonny's Sidekick to Goddess of Pop
There is only one Goddess of Pop - and she needs just one name: Cher.
The legendary singer (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) is more than six decades into her mega-successful career, which has spanned the worlds of music, TV, film and fashion. She is just a Tony Award away from becoming an EGOT winner, with an Emmy, a Grammy and an Oscar already under her belt.
Cher rose to stardom in 1965 as half of the duo Sonny & Cher with Sonny Bono, her future husband and Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour costar. Together, they recorded hit singles including "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On." The couple welcomed a child named Chaz Bono in 1969, the same year they divorced. Sonny died at the age of 62 in a tragic skiing accident in January 1998. Cher later welcomed her second son, Elijah Blue Allman, in 1976 with then-husband Gregg Allman, from whom she ultimately split in 1979.
Though Cher made some solo material in the ‘60s, she did not find worldwide success on her own until the 1971 release of her album Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves. By the mid-‘70s, her discography boasted hits such as "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady." The following decade, she embraced more of a rock vibe in her music with songs including "I Found Someone" and "If I Could Turn Back Time." Her success in the industry continued through the ‘90s, ‘00s and 2010s, thanks to "Believe," "Strong Enough" and "Woman's World."
As an actress, Cher garnered critical acclaim for her roles in Silkwood (1983), Mask (1985) and Moonstruck(1987), the latter of which landed her a best actress Oscar. More recently, she starred alongside Christina Aguilera in Burlesque (2010) and had a cameo in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again(2018).
"I'm shocked, but she's really good. The other day, we were hamming it up so badly, so old, like vaudevillian," Aguilera gushed to Entertainment Tonight in 2010 of her legendary costar. "She was keeping up! She was hot. Her game is good!"
Cher's personal life has also made headlines throughout her years in the spotlight. After her well-known romances with Sonny and Gregg, she found love again in 2022 with Alexander "AE" Edwards. Despite their 40-year age gap, the Grammy winner frequently defends their connection.
"Cher knows full well that there's a lot of skepticism about this romance, but she couldn't care less," a source exclusively told Us Weekly. "She's reveling in the attention and saying that she and AE have something very special going on that's made her feel more alive and sexier than ever."
Scroll down to see photos of the global icon through the years:
November 1962
After dropping out of high school and moving to Los Angeles, the El Centro, California, native met and fell in love with Sonny. They traveled to England and found moderate success before releasing their debut album, Look at Us, in August 1965.
October 1965
Cher released her debut solo album, All I Really Want to Do, which featured covers of three Bob Dylan songs: the title track, "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."
1969
After going through some hurdles in their relationship, Cher and Sonny put their differences aside and married. (They previously had an unofficial wedding in October 1964.) They separated in February 1974 and finalized their divorce in June 1975.
March 1969
The couple welcomed their only child together, Chaz, in Los Angeles.
August 1971
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour premiered on CBS and ran for four seasons, concluding in May 1974. The variety show featured the pair singing and doing comedy sketches, often with Chaz in tow.
January 1974
Cher won the Golden Globe Award for best actress in a TV series for The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.
June 1975
Cher married Gregg Allman from The Allman Brothers Band four days after finalizing her divorce from Sonny. The newlyweds released a collaborative album, Two the Hard Way, in November 1977, but broke up soon after. They finalized their divorce in 1979. (Allman died in May 2017.)
July 1976
Cher and Allman welcomed their son, Elijah Blue, who went on to follow in his parents' footsteps as a musician.
February 1976
The Sonny and Cher Show became the first-ever to star a divorced couple when it premiered. Their onscreen banter about their personal life in part led to the series' cancellation in August 1977.
December 1983
Cher starred as Meryl Streep's lesbian friend in the drama Silkwood, which scored five Oscar nominations including best supporting actress for the singer. She ended up winning a Golden Globe for the role.
March 1985
Cher received another Golden Globe nomination for her role opposite Sam Elliott in Mask.
March 1986
Cher infamously clashed with Mask director Peter Bogdanovich on set, so she attended the Oscars in a black tarantula-like dress in a reported attempt to prove a point.
May 1986
Cher called David Letterman an "a--hole" while appearing as a guest on Late Night With David Letterman. He later said he felt like the headline-making moment made him look like a "total fool."
December 1987
Cher received critical acclaim for her role in Moonstruck opposite Nicolas Cage, which earned her the Oscar for best actress.
July 1989
Cher released her "If I Could Turn Back Time" music video, in which she famously performed aboard a battleship for members of the Navy.
October 1996
Cher made her directing debut with the HBO made-for-TV movie If These Walls Could Talk. She also starred in the film.
January 1998
Sonny died when he crashed into a tree while skiing at Heavenly Mountain Resort in California. Cher delivered an emotional eulogy at his funeral.
June 2002
Cher launched her Living Proof farewell tour, which she continued to extend until April 2005 due to its success. Her show in Miami aired on NBC during Thanksgiving weekend and won three Primetime Emmys.
May 2008
Cher decided that she was not done performing yet and kicked off her self-titled residency in Las Vegas, which lasted until February 2011.
November 2010
Cher starred opposite Christina Aguilera in her first movie musical, Burlesque. She won a Golden Globe for "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," a song on the soundtrack.
May 2017
Cher scheduled more than 100 dates for her second Vegas residency, Classic Cher, which is slated to conclude in September 2019.
July 2018
Cher made a brief (but memorable!) appearance at the end of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again as she sang ABBA's "Fernando" to her onscreen lover, played by Andy García.
September 2018
Cher's Mamma Mia! stint inspired her to record an entire album of ABBA covers, including "SOS" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)." She promoted it with her Here We Go Again Tour, which was scheduled around her Classic Cher residency and ended in March 2020.
November 2018
After previews in Chicago, The Cher Show, a jukebox musical based on her life and career, moved to Broadway with three actresses playing Cher in three stages of her life: Stephanie J. Block, Teal Wicks and Micaela Diamond. Block went on to win the 2019 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
September 2022
Cher made a surprise appearance at Paris Fashion Week when she sashayed down Balmain's spring 2023 runway in an edgy black catsuit.
November 2022
Cher and Edwards - who shares son Slash with his ex Amber Rose - went public with their romance.
October 2023
Cher released her first-ever holiday album, Christmas, which Edwards coproduced. It featured the hit single "DJ Play a Christmas Song."
October 2024
Fellow style icon Zendaya inducted Cher into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "I changed the sound of music forever," the "Believe" singer proudly declared during her speech.
November 2024
Cher released part one of her eponymous memoir, chronicling her childhood and early success with Sonny. It went on to become a New York Times bestseller.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 6:10 AM.