Cher revealed she was ‘shattered’ by her ex Sonny Bono’s strategic play in their divorce proceedings.
November 11, 2024, published at 2:00 PM ET
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Cher opened up about her tumultuous divorce from Sonny in her new memoir.
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In Cher’s new memoir, the To believe hitmaker opened up about her volatile relationship with Sonny, to whom she was married from 1964 to 1975.
The two welcomed a daughter together in 1969, Chastity – who has since transitioned to a man and now goes by the name Chaz.
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The singer said Sonny used her ‘innocent’ trips with their now son Chaz to the Playboy Masnion against her.
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In the tell-all, Cher described her frequent visits to Hugh Hefner at his iconic mansion, noting the close relationship Chaz had built with the Playboy leader.
She wrote, “I had been to the Playboy Mansion many times and my daughter Chastity, then five, had known and loved Hef all her life.
“When she was born, he had given her a life-size lion that stood in a corner of her bedroom in what we called ‘the big house’ – the Bel-Air mansion that Sonny and I had bought from Tony Curtis.”
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Cher also said that Hefner’s house was “like heaven” for Chaz, calling it “a place where she could have ice cream served by a waiter in the Grotto.”
While the singer said her visits to the mansion were always “completely innocent,” Sonny used them as a way to change strategies during their divorce in an effort to gain full custody.
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Cher wrote: “I was devastated when my husband Sonny changed course in our divorce proceedings by filing for full custody of Chas and accusing me of being an unfit mother.
“His case revolved around me taking Chas to Hef’s one afternoon to see his monkeys and play in his pool.”
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She admitted: “I would never have taken her there if something inappropriate was going on and the thought of losing custody of Chas filled me with dread.”
In May 1974, the former couple was called to the Santa Monica courthouse to testify about the new twist in their divorce.
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The judge ruled in Cher’s favor and even granted Sonny less time with Chaz – which Cher knew wouldn’t be the case.
She wrote: “Shocked, Sonny asked me, ‘Are you really going to stick to that?’ to which I replied, “Of course not, dumbass. You can see her whenever you want.” The last thing I would do was prevent our child from seeing her best friend.”
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Sonny and Cher welcomed their only child Chaz, née Chastity, in 1969.
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Cher officially left Sonny in 1972, and after a few failed relationships and an engagement, she started seeing Gregory Allman. The two married in June 1975, but Cher filed for divorce just nine days later due to his drug abuse.
However, she became pregnant during their relationship and gave birth to her second child, Elijah Blue Allman, on July 10, 1976.
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During that time, Cher credited her eldest child for getting through such difficult events.
The hitmaker wrote: “I was so proud of Chas for surviving our divorce, my marriage to Gregory, my pregnancy and the press through it all.
“I knew it couldn’t have been easy, and I also knew that because of my heavy work schedule, I wasn’t around as much as I wanted to help her through all of that.”
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While Sonny got less time with Chaz during their divorce battle, Cher said she wouldn’t follow orders.
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Cher has consistently supported her son through his acting career and personal transition, although she was reportedly turned down an invitation to his wedding to Shara Mathews earlier this year.
Sources told In Touch, “Chaz and Shara are completely removing Cher from the guest list and don’t feel too bad about it. They want a simple ceremony without Cher’s theatrics.”
They added: “Cher has tried to be there for her children, but neither of them want anything to do with her. It’s devastating.”
Chaz transitioned to male in 2009 right after his 40th birthday and later documented the process in his 2011 documentary Become Chaz.
Cher told a friend at the time: “I admire my son Chaz’s courage to share his personal journey. The most important thing to me is that he is very happy. That is what I care about most. He has my love and support. “
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