Cher

Cher ( ; legally mononymous; May 20, 1946) is an American singer and actress. Dubbed the "Goddess of Pop", she is known for her androgynous, contralto voice, bold fashion, elaborate stagecraft and multifaceted career. Her screen roles often reflect her public image as a strong-willed, outspoken woman. An influential figure in popular culture, Cher has sustained a career spanning more than six decades through continual reinvention.

Cher rose to fame in 1965 as part of the folk rock duo Sonny & Cher, whose hit single "I Got You Babe" became emblematic of 1960s counterculture. She simultaneously launched a solo career with moody pop songs such as "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", whose theatrical storytelling foreshadowed her 1970s US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady". After a period of acting, she released the hair metal albums Cher (1987), Heart of Stone (1989) and Love Hurts (1991), scoring international top-ten hits "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)". At 52, she released the dance-pop album Believe (1998), which introduced the "Cher effect"—a stylized use of Auto-Tune to distort vocals. Its title track became 1999's number-one song in the US and the UK's best-selling single by a female artist. In the 21st century, she released her highest-charting US Billboard 200 albums, Closer to the Truth (2013) and Dancing Queen (2018), each debuting at number three.

Cher became a TV star in the 1970s with her CBS variety shows The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, which drew more than 30 million weekly viewers, and the solo Cher, on which she became the first woman to deliberately expose her navel on American television after fighting network censors. She later gained critical acclaim with her Broadway debut and the film adaptation of Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982). Transitioning to film, she earned two Academy Award nominations—for Silkwood (1983) and Moonstruck (1987), winning Best Actress for the latter—and received the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actress Award for Mask (1985). Other starring roles include The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Mermaids (1990), If These Walls Could Talk (1996, her directorial debut), Tea with Mussolini (1999), Burlesque (2010) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).

One of the best-selling music artists in history, Cher has sold over 100 million records and is the only solo artist with number-one singles on the US Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades (1960s–2020s). Her accolades include two Grammy Awards—among them the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award—a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards and the Kennedy Center Honors. She is the only performer to have won an Academy Award for acting and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her 2002–2005 Living Proof: The Farewell Tour was the highest-grossing concert tour by a female artist at the time, earning $250 million—about $ million in . Her life and career inspired the 2018 jukebox musical The Cher Show. Beyond entertainment, Cher is known for her progressive politics, status as a gay icon and advocacy for causes including LGBTQ rights and HIV/AIDS awareness.

Life and career 1946–1961: Early life Cheryl Sarkisian was born in El Centro, California, on May 20, 1946. Her father, John Sarkisian, an Armenian-American truck driver with drug and gambling problems, was rarely present during her early life. 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. Cher's parents divorced when she was 10 months old. Before leaving, her father placed her in an orphanage for several months; Holt was allowed to visit once a week, only able to see Cher through a window. Both found the experience traumatic.

alt=Cher, as a teenager, smiles with dark, voluminous curls in her hair.

In 1951, Holt married actor John Southall, with whom she had Cher's half-sister, Georganne. Holt's marriage to Southall ended when Cher was nine; Cher later described him as her "real father" and a "good-natured man who turned belligerent when he drank too much". Holt remarried and divorced several times, frequently moving the family across states, including New York, Texas and California. They often struggled financially, and Cher recalled using rubber bands to hold her shoes together. While living in Los Angeles, Holt pursued acting while working as a waitress, occasionally securing minor television roles for her daughters in shows such as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

By fifth grade, Cher organized a class performance of the musical Oklahoma!, taking on male roles when boys refused to participate. At nine, her voice was unusually low for a female child. Fascinated by film stars, Cher idolized Audrey Hepburn, particularly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), emulating Hepburn's character's unconventional outfits and demeanor. She also admired Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn, but felt discouraged by the lack of dark-haired actresses in Hollywood. She recalled, "In the Walt Disney cartoons, all the witches and evil queens were really dark. There was nobody I could look at and think, 'That's who I'm like.'" As a child, she dreamed of fame but struggled with feelings of inadequacy, describing herself as "unattractive" and "untalented". Reflecting on her ambitions, she later said, "I couldn't think of anything that I could do ... I just thought, 'I'll be famous'. That was my goal."

In 1961, Holt married bank manager Gilbert LaPiere, who adopted Cher (under the name Cheryl LaPiere) Many radio programmers rejected the song, mistaking Cher's deep contralto for a male voice and assuming it was a gay man singing to the Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.

Cher and Sonny became close friends, then lovers, and held an unofficial wedding ceremony in a hotel room in Tijuana, Mexico, on October 27, 1964. Although Sonny initially intended to launch Cher as a solo artist, she encouraged him to perform with her due to her stage fright, and he began joining her onstage to sing backing vocals. Cher masked her nervousness by looking at Sonny; she later said she sang to the audience through him.

In early 1964, Cher and Sonny recorded together for the first time, releasing "The Letter" as Caesar & Cleo on Vault Records. It featured inverted harmonies—Cher sang the lower part and Sonny the higher—a reversal of the typical male–female vocal roles they continued using in later recordings. Later that year, the duo signed a one-off deal with Reprise Records for another Caesar & Cleo single, "Love Is Strange". A week before its release, their managers reintroduced them to Reprise as a new act—Sonny & Cher—in an effort to secure a more lucrative contract. Unaware they were the same duo, Reprise released both singles simultaneously: "Love Is Strange" as Caesar & Cleo and "Baby Don't Go" as Sonny & Cher. Reprise declined a long-term deal after discovering the connection. While the Caesar & Cleo singles were commercially unsuccessful, "Baby Don't Go" found success in Los Angeles, prompting Atlantic Records to sign them to its Atco label. Meanwhile, the Byrds released their own version of the song. As the two versions began competing on the charts, the Byrds' label shifted focus to promoting their single's B-side. Roger McGuinn of the Byrds recalled, "We loved the Cher version ... We didn't want to hassle. So we just turned our record over." Cher's debut album, All I Really Want to Do (1965), reached number 16 on the US Billboard 200.

1965–1967: Sonny and Cher's breakthrough alt=Sonny and Cher stand against a stone wall; Sonny wears a vest over a white shirt and dark pants, while Cher wears a striped sleeveless top with matching flared pants.

While launching her solo career, Cher continued recording with Sonny as a duo. Sonny & Cher's first Atco single, "Just You", failed to chart upon its April 1965 release. The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour premiered as a summer replacement series on August 1, 1971, and had six episodes. Following its ratings success, the couple returned that December with a full-time show.

Watched by more than 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run, while her Bob Mackie-designed outfits set 1970s fashion trends.

In 1971, Sonny and Cher signed with the Kapp Records division of MCA Records and Cher released the single "Classified 1A", in which she sings from the point of view of a soldier who bleeds to death in Vietnam. Written by Sonny, who felt that her first solo single on the label had to be poignant and topical, the song was rejected by radio station programmers as uncommercial.

Since Sonny's first attempts at reviving their recording career as a duo had also been unsuccessful, Kapp Records recruited Snuff Garrett to work with them. He produced Cher's second US number-one single, "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", which "proved that ... Garrett knew more about Cher's voice and her persona as a singer than Sonny did", wrote Bego. "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" was the first single by a solo artist to rank number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at the same time as on the Canadian singles chart. It was featured on the 1971 album Chér (later reissued under the title Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves), which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its second single, "The Way of Love", reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and established Cher's more confident sound as a recording artist.

Cher's next single, "Dark Lady", was released in December 1973 as the lead single from her 11th studio album, Dark Lady (1974). It became her second consecutive and fourth overall number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, tying her with Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page and Connie Francis for the most number-one singles by a female solo artist in US history at the time. In 1974, she released a Greatest Hits album that, according to Billboard, proved her to be "one of the most consistent hitmakers of the past five years", as well as a "proven superstar who always sells records".

Between 1971 and 1973, Sonny & Cher's recording career was revived with four albums released under Kapp and MCA Records: Sonny & Cher Live (1971), All I Ever Need Is You (1972)—with the US top-ten singles "All I Ever Need Is You" and "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done"—Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer, Papa Used to Write All Her Songs (1973) and Live in Las Vegas Vol. 2 (1973). Cher later commented that her tight schedule required her to record entire albums in a few days while also touring and filming their TV show.

1974–1979: Divorce, marriage to Gregg Allman and media scrutiny Cher and Sonny ended their relationship in late 1972 but stayed legally married for two more years to protect their careers. Their relationship had been troubled for years due to Sonny's infidelity and controlling behavior. By 1973, they lived in the same house while dating other people. "The public still thinks we are married," Sonny wrote in his diary, "that's the way it has to be." Sonny filed for separation the next month, citing "irreconcilable differences". A week later, Cher countered with a divorce suit, accusing him of "involuntary servitude" and withholding her rightful share of their earnings. Their show was canceled in April 1974. Later that year, Sonny launched The Sonny Comedy Revue with the same creative team, but it was canceled after 13 weeks.

During divorce proceedings, Cher learned she was legally an employee of Cher Enterprises, a company 95% owned by Sonny and 5% by his lawyer. She was also required to work exclusively for Sonny's company, leaving her with no career or financial control. Record executive David Geffen, with whom Cher had begun a relationship in 1973, helped her break free from the contract. Cher won custody of Chaz after a highly publicized legal battle, and their divorce was finalized on June 26, 1975. Geffen hoped to marry Cher, but she ended the relationship due to his possessiveness and struggles with his sexuality.

Cher debuted her solo CBS show, Cher, on February 12, 1975. The show showcased Cher's music, comedy, monologs and an extensive wardrobe—the largest for a weekly TV series. Critics praised it, with the Los Angeles Times stating, "Sonny without Cher was a disaster. Cher without Sonny ... could be the best thing that's happened to weekly television this season." Musical guests included David Bowie (in his American TV debut), Ray Charles, Elton John, Bette Midler, Tina Turner and the Jackson 5, with Billboard crediting Cher for bringing "a rock sensibility to prime-time TV".

alt=Farrah Fawcett, in a feather boa and light-colored dress, sits beside Cher, who stands in a sequined floor-length gown with feather trim at the hem and cuffs, her dark hair in a bob with bangs.

Despite high ratings, the Cher show ended after two seasons, replaced by a reunion show with Sonny. The Ringers Lindsay Zoladz commented that network censors were stricter with Cher as a single woman, viewing her as more provocative alone than as Sonny's wife. Cher later reflected, "Doing a show alone was more than I could handle."

In 1975, Cher signed a $2.5 million contract with Warner Bros. Records, aiming to establish herself as a serious rock artist rather than "just a pop singer". Influenced by the introspective style of singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and James Taylor, she recorded her 12th studio album, Stars (1975). Richard Seeley of the Daily Breeze praised the album as "an important link between the rock and roll subculture and the mass popular music audience", noting that Cher showed "real talent" by choosing lesser-known rock songwriters over "surefire hit makers like John [Lennon] and [Paul] McCartney". In contrast, Janet Maslin of The Village Voice argued that she lacked rock credibility, writing that "image, not music, is Cher Bono's main ingredient for both records and TV." Though Stars was a commercial failure, it later developed a cult following and has been regarded as one of her best works.

On June 30, 1975, four days after finalizing her divorce from Sonny, Cher married rock musician Gregg Allman, co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band, whom she had been dating since January, shortly after ending her relationship with Geffen. She filed for divorce nine days later due to his heroin and alcohol problems, but they reconciled within a month. Their son, Elijah Blue Allman, was born on July 10, 1976. Cher's TV reunion with Sonny, The Sonny and Cher Show, debuted on CBS in February 1976—the first show ever to star a divorced couple. Although it premiered to strong ratings, their biting onscreen banter about the divorce along with her troubled relationship with Allman sparked a public backlash that contributed to the show's cancellation in August 1977.

alt=Cher, in a fitted tank top and jeans, stands next to Gregg Allman, who has long blond hair and a beard, wearing a buttoned-up shirt.

In 1976, Mego Toys released a line of Sonny & Cher dolls. The Cher doll outsold Barbie, becoming the year's best-selling doll. Under pressure from Warner Records to return to her earlier narrative pop style, Cher recorded her 13th and 14th studio albums, I'd Rather Believe in You (1976) and Cherished (1977), neither of which charted. Orange Coast writer Keith Tuber suggested that her weekly TV shows may have hurt record sales by giving audiences regular access to her music. Reviews were largely negative: Larry Rohter of the Houston Chronicle called I'd Rather Believe in You "atrocious", citing "dreary vocals" and describing it as "one of the lamest records of the year", while Christine Brown of the Miami Herald wrote of Cherished, "It might help to stare at the album cover as you listen ... It takes your mind off what you're hearing."

In 1977, under the rubric Allman and Woman, Cher and Allman recorded the duet album Two the Hard Way. though audience reception was mixed. With a combination of Cher fans and Allman Brothers fans in attendance, fights frequently broke out at venues, prompting Cher to cancel the tour. Their relationship ended soon after the tour's cancellation, and their divorce was finalized in 1979.

In 1978, Cher began a two-year live-in relationship with Kiss member Gene Simmons. She briefly returned to prime-time TV with the specials Cher... Special (1978)—featuring a segment in which she performs all of the roles in her version of West Side Story—and Cher... and Other Fantasies (1979).

1979–1982: Second musical comeback—from disco diva to rock frontwoman alt=Cher sings into a microphone, wearing a wide-brimmed rhinestone-studded cowboy hat and a revealing outfit accented with large turquoise jewelry.

In 1979, she legally adopted the mononym Cher, with no surname. Facing financial pressures as a single mother of two, she decided to steer her singing career toward greater commercial success. Temporarily setting aside her desire to be a rock singer, she signed with Casablanca Records and launched a comeback with the single "Take Me Home" and the album of the same name, both of which capitalized on the disco craze. The album and single became instant successes, remained bestsellers for more than half of 1979 and were certified gold by the RIAA. earning $300,000 weekly. Beginning in June 1979 and running until 1982, the residency evolved into Cher's first solo tour, the Take Me Home Tour, with dates in North America, Europe, South Africa and Australia. (Cher's 1979–1982 concert series had no official name but was promoted under various titles, such as "Cher", "Cher in Concert", "The Cher Show" and "The Cher Tour".) It later became known as the Take Me Home Tour, a name adopted by Cher and biographers. The tour had dates in North America, Europe, South Africa and Australia, with extended stays in venues including Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Though combining elements of both tours and residencies, the media often called it a Vegas residency, referring to shows outside Las Vegas as extensions of her "Vegas act". At the time, Vegas residencies were seen as signs of career decline, influencing public perception and Cher's career choices. the concert series yielded two TV specials: Standing Room Only: Cher in Concert (1981) and Cher... A Celebration at Caesars (1983), the latter earning her the CableACE Award for Best Actress in a Variety Program. In 1981, Cher collaborated with Meat Loaf on the duet "Dead Ringer for Love", which peaked at number five on the UK singles chart and was praised by AllMusic's Donald A. Guarisco as "one of the more inspired rock duets of the 1980s". The following year, Cher released the new wave album I Paralyze, a commercial failure and her only album under Columbia Records.

1982–1987: Broadway debut, acting breakthrough and musical hiatus alt=Cher, in a spiked hairstyle and dark outfit, signs an autograph while interacting with a man in a tuxedo.

With declining record sales and radio airplay, Cher shifted her focus to acting. Despite earlier aspirations, her only film credits, Good Times and Chastity, were critical and commercial failures, and Hollywood did not take her seriously as an actress. Reflecting on this period, Cher said, "I was dropped by my [label] and couldn't get a job ... [so] I went to Las Vegas", which she likened to an "elephant's graveyard" for fading stars. Despite her success performing there, she felt unfulfilled: "I was making a fortune ... but I was dying inside."

In 1982, Cher moved to New York to study acting with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, but skipped enrollment after auditioning for and being cast in Robert Altman's Broadway production Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. Altman later cast her in the film adaptation of the same title.

Director Mike Nichols, who had seen Cher onstage in Jimmy Dean, offered her the part of Dolly Pelliker, the lesbian roommate of Karen Silkwood (played by Meryl Streep) in the 1983 biographical film Silkwood. Audiences initially questioned Cher's acting ability; she later recalled attending a film screening where the crowd laughed upon seeing her name in the opening credits. For Silkwood, Cher was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won a Golden Globe Award in the same category.

alt=Cher stands on the Academy Awards stage holding a presenter's envelope, wearing a black Bob Mackie ensemble featuring a feathered headdress, an open lattice-work top exposing her midriff, sequined pants, and a long cape.

The biopic Mask (1985) marked Cher's first critical and commercial success as a leading actress, reaching number two at the box office. During production, Cher clashed with director Peter Bogdanovich, refusing to support his call to boycott the film's promotion in protest of Universal Pictures' edits to the final cut. While promoting the film, she remarked, "From working with Peter, it's no surprise to me that he would serve his own interests before those of the film."

For her portrayal of Rusty Dennis, a drug-addicted biker raising a disfigured teenage son, Cher won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Despite critical predictions, she was ultimately left off the Oscar nomination list. Bego suggested that her public feud with Bogdanovich and unconventional image may have contributed to the Academy's decision. At the 58th Academy Awards, she wore a dramatic, tarantula-like outfit, which Vanity Fairs Esther Zuckerman later called Cher's "Oscar revenge dress". Presenting the Best Supporting Actor nominees, Cher quipped, "As you can see, I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress". The incident garnered her much publicity.

Cher's May 1986 guest appearance on Late Night with David Letterman, during which she called David Letterman "an asshole", attracted much media coverage. Letterman later recalled, "It did hurt my feelings. Cher was one of the few people I've really wanted to have on the show ... I felt like a total fool, especially since I say all kinds of things to people." She returned in November 1987, reuniting with Sonny for the last time before his death for an impromptu performance of "I Got You Babe". Reflecting in 2015, Rolling Stones Andy Greene wrote, "They weren't exactly the best of friends at this point, but both of them knew it would make for unforgettable television. Had YouTube existed back then, this would have gone insanely viral the next morning." That same month, Cher released The Ugly Duckling, an audiobook adaptation of the 1843 fairy tale. The Washington Post praised her as "a warm, unaffected storyteller" whose voice was "particularly suited for very young listeners".

1987–1992: Hollywood stardom and third musical comeback Cher starred in three films in 1987. In Peter Yates' legal thriller Suspect, she portrayed a public defender aided and romanced by a juror (Dennis Quaid) in a homicide case. In George Miller's comedy horror The Witches of Eastwick, she played one of three small-town divorcees—alongside Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon—seduced by a mysterious, wealthy visitor (Jack Nicholson). In Norman Jewison's romantic comedy Moonstruck, she starred as an Italian widow who falls for her fiancé's younger brother (Nicolas Cage). The latter two films ranked among 1987's top 10 highest-grossing movies.

The New York Times Janet Maslin wrote Moonstruck "offers further proof that Cher has evolved into the kind of larger-than-life movie star who's worth watching whatever she does". For that film, Cher won the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

alt=Cher sings on stage in a black fringed mini dress with spaghetti straps, her dark curly hair framing her face. A drum set is visible in the background.

In 1987, Cher signed with Geffen Records and revived her musical career with what music critics Johnny Danza and Dean Ferguson described as "her most impressive string of hits to date", establishing her as a "serious rock and roller ... a crown that she'd worked long and hard to capture". the album proved to be a commercial success, certified platinum by the RIAA. her first US top-ten single in eight years. Her 19th studio album, Heart of Stone (1989), reached number one in Australia and entered the top 10 in Canada, New Zealand, the UK where it was certified triple platinum. became one of her signature songs and drew controversy for its sexually suggestive music video, filmed aboard the battleship . Cher launched the Heart of Stone Tour in 1989, which continued through 1990. Critics praised the tour for its nostalgic appeal and her showmanship. The TV special Cher... at the Mirage, filmed during a Las Vegas concert, aired in February 1991.

In Mermaids (1990), Cher's first film in three years, she drew inspiration from her mother to portray a woman who moves her daughters (Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci) from town to town after failed relationships. She clashed with the film's first two directors, Lasse Hallström and Frank Oz, who were replaced by Richard Benjamin. Producers, seeing Cher as the star attraction, granted her creative control. The film was a box office success and received positive reviews. One of the two songs Cher recorded for the film's soundtrack, a cover of Merry Clayton's "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)", topped the UK singles chart for five weeks.

Cher's final Geffen studio album, Love Hurts (1991), spent six weeks at number one in the UK and was certified gold by the RIAA. She then launched the Love Hurts Tour (1991–1992) and released the UK-only compilation album Greatest Hits: 1965–1992 (1992), which topped the UK chart for seven weeks. Critics saw it as a sellout and speculated her film career was over, with Entertainment Weekly stating she had eroded her "hard-won A-list actress status". Cher later reflected, "Suddenly I became the Infomercial Queen ... people stripped me of all my other things."

alt=Cher sings into a microphone, her long dark hair framing her face, wearing a simple, casual light-colored outfit and a ring.

In 1993, Cher re-recorded "I Got You Babe" with MTV's animated duo Beavis and Butt-Head, mocking her own image as they introduce her as "a chick that's got tattoos on her butt ... who's older ... done it a lot of times [and] used to be married to some dork" (referring to Sonny Bono). She topped the UK singles chart in 1995 with the charity single "Love Can Build a Bridge", alongside Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry and Eric Clapton. After signing with Warner Music UK's WEA label, Cher released It's a Man's World (1995), an album of songs originally performed by men. The album features "Walking in Memphis", certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), and the UK top-ten single "One by One". and the UK.

In 1996, Cher appeared alongside Demi Moore and Sissy Spacek in If These Walls Could Talk, a three-part anthology TV film about abortion. The project marked Cher's directorial debut, as she both directed and starred in the film's final segment, playing a doctor targeted by an anti-abortion group. Walls became HBO's highest-rated original movie to date, drawing 6.9 million viewers. Cher's first leading role in a theatrical release in six years came with Paul Mazursky's dark comedy Faithful (1996), in which she played a suicidal woman whose husband hires a hitman (Chazz Palminteri) to kill her. Although praised for her performance, with The New York Times noting she "does her game best to find comic potential in a victim's role", Cher refused to promote the film, calling it "horrible".

Following Sonny Bono's death in a skiing accident in 1998, Cher delivered a tearful eulogy at his funeral, calling him "the most unforgettable character" she had met. She paid tribute to him by hosting the CBS special Sonny & Me: Cher Remembers, which aired on May 20, 1998. That month, Sonny and Cher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their work on television. Later that year, Cher published The First Time, a collection of autobiographical essays of "first-time" events in her life. Critics praised the book as sincere and relatable. The manuscript was nearly complete when Sonny died, and Cher was initially reluctant to include his death, concerned it might appear exploitative. She told Rolling Stone, "I might have [ignored it] if I cared more about what people think than what I know is right for me."

1998–2002: Fourth musical comeback and songwriting debut alt=Cher performs in a glittering blue outfit with a black coat and layered necklaces, with sleek, straight dark hair.

Cher's 22nd studio album, Believe (1998), marked a shift from her previous rock sound to 1970s disco-inspired dance-pop. earning quadruple platinum certification in the US and gold, platinum or multi-platinum status in 39 countries.

The album's title track reached number one in 23 countries and sold over 10 million copies globally. It was the best-selling single of 1998 in the UK and of 1999 in the US. "Believe" debuted at number one in the UK, held the position for seven weeks and became the country's best-selling single by a female artist. In the US, it led the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, making Cher, at 52, the oldest woman to top the chart.

Cher's career has been marked by continual reinvention; professor Richard Aquila described her as "the ultimate pop chameleon", while The New York Times dubbed her the "Queen of the Comeback". Cher remarked, "It's a thousand times harder to come back than to become. Becoming famous is hard, but making a comeback is almost impossible."

Billboard wrote that Cher "revolutionized the idea of what a pop star could visually accomplish, the way they could create multiple personas that live on and off-stage"; as the red carpet emerged as a "cultural fixture" in the 1980s, "Cher became one of its leaders". Author Craig Crawford described Cher as "a model of flexible career management", highlighting how she adapted her image to align with cultural trends while maintaining a rebellious persona that made her transformations both strategic and authentic. Author Lucy O'Brien saw her as embodying the American Dream of self-reinvention by challenging assumptions around aging in the entertainment industry.

alt=A wax figure of Cher, barefoot and holding her shoes, wears a sheer black beaded gown with a dramatic cape and intricate embellishments.

Cher's career has drawn sustained attention from critics and scholars as a case study in gender roles and feminism in the entertainment industry. Goldmines Phill Marder said Cher advanced "feminine rebellion" in 1960s rock, describing her as "the prototype of the female rock star". Marder attributed her rebellious image in part to her commanding, "near dominatrix" stage persona alongside Sonny Bono and her rise to greater prominence as a solo act. Director George Schlatter credited Cher with redefining women's roles in television comedy, stating, "Until Cher, women have been the joke, not done the joke ... She's the first female star to carry a show in the same way that men have".

In the weeks before Cher's 1988 Academy Award win, The New York Times Stephanie Brush compared her impact on women to Jack Nicholson's cultural appeal among men, stating that she embodied women's "revenge fantasies" by confronting those who underestimated her: "You need to be more than beautiful to get away with this. You need to have been Cher for 40 years." A 1996 Dateline NBC interview clip featuring Cher's response to her mother's advice to "marry a rich man"—"Mom, I am a rich man"—went viral in 2016. Bustle magazine described the quote as a subversion of traditional gender norms and a feminist statement.

Cher's public image—marked by defiance, flamboyance and an unwavering sense of self—has itself become a subject of cultural study and popular fascination. Gilbert described Cher as "a walking, singing eye roll [who] has never met an obstacle without theatrically raising a middle finger." Alexander Fury of The Independent described her celebrity as "seemingly immortal" and operating at an "omnipotent, uni-monikered level", Bego emphasized her multifaceted career: "No one in the history of show business has had a career of the magnitude and scope of Cher's. She has been a teenage pop star, a television hostess, a fashion model, a rock star, a Broadway actress, an Oscar-winning movie star, a disco diva and the subject of a mountain of press coverage." Lynch concluded, "The world would certainly be different if she hadn't stayed so irrevocably Cher from the start." She is one of five singer-actors to have earned both an Academy Award for acting and a US number-one single and appeared on Rolling Stones 2003 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Billboard named "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" (1971) one of the greatest songs of the 20th century and listed "If I Could Turn Back Time" (1989) among its "500 Best Pop Songs" in 2023. "Believe" (1998), the UK's best-selling single by a female artist, and ranked eighth in a 2003 BBC poll of the world's favorite songs—the only American entry.

Cher is the only solo artist to have achieved a number-one single on a US Billboard chart in seven consecutive decades and the only solo artist to have released new material that reached the Official UK Top 40 in seven consecutive decades (1960s–2020s). She held the previous record for the longest span between a first and most recent number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100—33 years, seven months and three weeks—from "I Got You Babe" (August 14, 1965) to the final week at number one for "Believe" (April 3, 1999).

Cher has received numerous lifetime and career achievement honors, including the Vanguard Award at the 1998 GLAAD Media Awards, the Influence on Fashion Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 1999, the Icon Award at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2026. Her handprints and footprints are set in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as part of Sonny & Cher In 2018, Cher received the Kennedy Center Honors, the highest cultural recognition in the US, In 2026, Cher was ranked 130th in Forbes inaugural "Self-Made 250", a list of the greatest living self-made Americans.

Beliefs Religious Cher was born to an Armenian-American father of the Armenian Apostolic Church tradition and a mother of mixed European ancestry, and she was raised in a household that identified with Christianity, though she has said that her family was not strictly observant and that religion did not play a dominant role in her upbringing. She has stated that she has "played around with Buddhism for years" and continues to return to Buddhist practices such as meditation and study. Cher has said that Buddhist teachings provide her with spiritual grounding and that "the soul of the universe, everything that I need, I can find in its practice."

Political alt=Cher smiles in a black outfit with metallic studs, sporting a voluminous, spiky hairstyle. Cher in 1985 at a White House reception hosted by First Lady Nancy Reagan

Cher has said that she is not a registered Democrat, but has attended many Democratic events. Her progressive political views have attracted media attention and she has been an outspoken critic of the conservative movement. She has commented that she did not understand why anyone would be a Republican because eight years under the administration of George W. Bush "almost killed [her]". During the 2000 United States presidential election, ABC News wrote that she was determined to do "whatever possible to keep [Bush] out of office".

In a 2006 Stars and Stripes interview, Cher elaborated on her "against the war in Iraq but for the troops" position: "I don't have to be for this war to support the troops because these men and women do what ... they're told to do ... They do the best they can. They don't ask for anything."

Cher supported Hillary Clinton in her 2008 presidential campaign. In a 2010 interview with Vanity Fair, she commented that she "still thinks Hillary would have done a better job", although she "accepts the fact that Barack Obama inherited insurmountable problems".

In September 2013, Cher declined an invitation to perform at the 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Russia due to the country's controversial anti-LGBTQ legislation that overshadowed preparations for the event. In June 2015, after Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president, she made critical comments on Twitter, stating that "Donald Trump's punishment is being Donald Trump". She endorsed Clinton in her 2016 presidential campaign. In 2018, after the victory in Brazil's presidential election of right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro, Cher called him a "pig" and "a politician from hell", declaring that Bolsonaro should be "locked in prison for the rest of his life".

alt=Cher, wearing a black face mask and long dark hair, stands at an outdoor event with microphones in front of her and a crowd of masked people in the background.

Cher has advocated for recognition of the Armenian genocide. At the 2016 premiere of The Promise, a war film depicting the genocide, she criticized Turkey's denial and highlighted the general public's lack of awareness. She cited the Obersalzberg Speech and the line, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" She also discussed her Armenian heritage and her grandparents' survival of the genocide. Cher expressed support for Armenia and Artsakh on Twitter during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. The following year, she congratulated Joe Biden for being the first US President to formally recognize the Armenian genocide.

In September 2020, Cher raised nearly $2 million for Biden's presidential campaign at a virtual LGBTQ-themed fundraiser. In October, she campaigned for Biden in Nevada and Arizona and released a cover of "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe", originally from the 1943 musical Cabin in the Sky, with lyrics updated to be about Biden. In 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Cher voiced support for Ukraine on Twitter and called for humanitarian aid. She referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a despot seeking to restore the Soviet Union and announced plans to provide shelter to Ukrainian refugees in her home.

In October 2024, Cher endorsed the presidential ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, stating on social media that Harris was "fighting for all of us" and would "protect our rights".

Philanthropy alt=Cher wears a military beret and a white lace outfit, smiling with her arm around a US Army soldier in uniform.

Cher's philanthropic work is channeled through the Cher Charitable Foundation, which focuses on combating poverty, advancing medical research, improving health care and supporting the rights of vulnerable groups such as veterans, children, LGBTQ individuals, elders and animals. She has been a vocal advocate for American soldiers, returning veterans and communities affected by war. In 1993, she joined a humanitarian mission to Armenia, delivering food and medical supplies to the war-torn region. She has supported Operation Helmet, which provides free helmet upgrade kits to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and contributed to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, aiding military personnel severely injured in war-related operations.

Cher is a donor, fundraiser and international spokesperson for Keep a Child Alive, which seeks to combat AIDS, including providing antiretroviral medicine to children and their families. In 2015, she received the amfAR Award of Inspiration for "her willingness and ability to use her fame for the greater good" and for being "one of the great champions in the fight against AIDS".

Cher has served as the Honorary National Chair of Habitat for Humanity's "Raise the Roof" fundraising initiative, aimed at supporting the construction and repair of affordable homes for families in need. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cher launched the CherCares Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative (CCPRRI) alongside Dr. Irwin Redlener, the head of Columbia University's Pandemic Resource and Response Center, to distribute $1 million to "chronically neglected and forgotten people" through the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). Cher told Billboard, "There are rural areas where people of color and Latinos and Native Americans were getting no services. It's not a lot of money—$1 million goes in the blink of an eyelash!—so now I'm trying to get my friends to make it a lot more so we can do something that will really meet people's needs." That same year, she co-founded Free the Wild, an international charity dedicated to protecting wild animals in captivity. In 2020, Free the Wild partnered with Four Paws International, prompting Cher to travel to Pakistan to advocate for and work with the country's government for the transfer of Kaavan, an elephant confined to a zoo for 35 years, to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia. This effort was chronicled in the documentary Cher & the Loneliest Elephant, released on Paramount+ in 2021, which detailed her collaboration with animal aid groups and veterinarians to free Kaavan.

Cher's older child, Chaz Bono, first came out as a lesbian at age 17, which reportedly caused Cher to feel "guilt, fear and pain". She later accepted Chaz's sexual orientation and came to the conclusion that LGBTQ people "didn't have the same rights as everyone else, [and she] thought that was unfair". Cher was the keynote speaker for the 1997 national Parents, Families, & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) convention and has since become one of the LGBTQ community's most vocal advocates. In May 1998, she received the GLAAD Vanguard Award for having "made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for lesbians and gay men". On June 11, 2009, Chaz came out as a transgender man and his transition from female to male was legally finalized on May 6, 2010.

Discography

Solo studio albums

Collaborative studio albums Two the Hard Way (with Gregg Allman as Allman and Woman) (1977) Black Rose (as lead vocalist of Black Rose) (1980)

Filmography

Films

Headlining TV shows and specials

Tours and residencies

Headlining tours

Co-headlining tours Two the Hard Way Tour (with Gregg Allman as Allman and Woman) (1977)

Residencies Take Me Home Tour (1979–1982) Cher (2008–2011) Classic Cher (2017–2020)

Published works The Ugly Duckling (1987) Forever Fit (1991) The First Time (1998) Cher: The Memoir (2024)