Mother, with
Gregg Allman, of Elijah Allman.
Diagnosed
with dyslexia at the age of 30.
Had started
dating producer David Geffen after she and estranged husband Sonny Bono split up.
Was living
with rock musician Gene Simmons of KISS for several years.
Her half-sister,
Georganne LaPiere, was the first wife of Michael Madsen.
Offered the
part of Thelma in Thelma &
Louise (1991).
Half-sister-in-law
of Michael Madsen.
Her
father was Armenian, her mother was reputedly part Cherokee, since one of Cher's great-great-grandparents is said to be Cherokee,
but none of her currently-known ancestors are described as anything other than White.
Legally
changed her name from "Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere Bono Allman" to simply "Cher.".
Beat out Céline Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" for the best selling single of 1998 with "Believe."
Wanted to
play Morticia in the The Addams Family (1991), but the part went to Anjelica Huston.
Her favourite
makeup artist, Kevyn Aucoin, died in 2002 of a brain tumor.
Has
mostly been living in London, UK
over the last few years.
Holds
the record for the the longest gap between #1 hits ("Dark Lady" 1974, "Believe" 1999).
Holds
the record for oldest female artist with a #1 hit ("Believe").
Son, Elijah Allman, fronts the band Deadsy.
Half-sister-in-law
of actress Virginia Madsen.
Is tying with
Mako as the Oscar-nominated actor throughout history with the shortest name. Technically
wins, as her name is only one syllable and is her actual legal name.
Suffers
from fear of flying.
Wears
size 8 shoes.
Cher's very first recording was novelty record "I Love You Ringo,"
under the name of Bonnie Jo Mason in 1963.
Her
parents married and divorced 3 times.
Measurements:
32B-24-36 (in 1990), 34C-24-35 1/2 (after breast lift surgery), 35 1/2 -25 1/2-36 (late 1990s), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth
magazine).
She
won a Grammy in 1999 for the song "Believe" and an Emmy in 2003 for a special on her farewell concert tour.
Spoke the
eulogy at ex-husband Sonny Bono's funeral.
Ranked
#43 on VH1's "100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll."
Wore
braces as an adult.
Her
1998 hit single "Believe" was ranked #60 on VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs.
A 2002
Rolling Stone article estimated her wealth at over $600 million. Since then she has embarked on a hugely successful farewell
tour that is still going and released a greatest hits CD that has spent weeks in the the Billboard Top 10.
Is a big Katharine Hepburn fan.
Although her
music video "If I Could Turn Back Time" is often cited as the first video to be banned by MTV, this is not true. The Rolling
Stones ("Neighbors"), The Ramones ("Psychotherapy") and Laura Branigan all had videos banned several years beforehand.
Mother, with
Sonny Bono, of Chastity Bono.
Mother, Georgia Holt was a fan of Lana Turner. Original birth name Cherlyn was named after Lana Turner's daughter Cheryl Crane.
Is the
only certified female performer in music history to have had a U.S #1 single in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
She and Barbra Streisand are the only two female performers in the U.S. to have had a #1 hit and won an Oscar.
Has
appeared solo on the cover of People magazine a near record 13 times.
In addition
to her Oscar and Emmy wins, Cher won a 2000 Grammy for the song
"Believe"
as Best Dance Recording.
US-born
Cher is the most famous Hollywood personality of Armenian ethnicity.
Acclaimed
USSR-born filmmaker Sergei Parajanov is the most famous non-Hollywood Armenian cinema personality.
In a recent
poll, A&E's Biography Magazine ranked her as people's Number 3 favorite actress of all time behind her two Hollywood idols, Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn.
She was the
subject of an episode of "The X Files" (1993) called "The Post-Modern Prometheus" (5X06; first aired November 3, 1997). This
episode concerned a deformed man who adored Cher because of her role in Mask (1985), in which her character cared for her deformed son. Several Cher
songs appeared on the soundtrack of this episode, including "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves" and "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine
Anymore". At the end of the episode, Mulder and Scully take the Cher fan to a Cher concert, where they hear her sing her cover
of "Walkin' in Memphis". Cher,
an "X-Files" fan, was asked to play herself in this scene but declined the producers' offer. However, she revealed on
The X-Files
Movie Special (1998) (TV) that once the episode aired, she regretted not having appeared in it.
Was called
to be offered the role in The Witches
of Eastwick (1987) on the morning of her 40th birthday.
Her Oscar-winning
part in Moonstruck (1987) was originally offered to Sally Field, who turned it down.
She
has had rhinoplasty and other cosmetic surgeries.
From
2002-2005, she has had an immense success with her "Living Proof Farewell Tour", spanning the globe, making her the world's
top diva. She also holds the record for longest-running tour and most money grossed than any female artist in history.
Is one of
only five actors/actresses to have both a number one single and an Oscar for acting. The others are Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Jamie Foxx, and Bing Crosby.
All
of her Emmy nominations have been for variety series or music programs with her name in the title.