# Cher

By [jake0et](https://paragraph.com/@jake0et) · 2021-10-29

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**Cher** ([/ʃɛr/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English); born **Cherilyn Sarkisian**; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the ["Goddess of Pop"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorific_nicknames_in_popular_music),[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher#cite_note-GoddessOfPop-1) she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry. Cher is known for her distinctive [contralto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contralto) singing voice and for having worked in numerous areas of entertainment, as well as adopting a variety of styles and appearances throughout her six-decade-long career.

Cher gained popularity in 1965 as one-half of the [folk rock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_rock) husband-wife duo [Sonny & Cher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_%26_Cher) after their song "[I Got You Babe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Got_You_Babe)" peaked at number one on the US and UK charts. By the end of 1967, they had sold 40 million records worldwide. Her solo career was established during the same time, with the top-ten singles "[Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Bang_\(My_Baby_Shot_Me_Down\))" and "[You Better Sit Down Kids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Better_Sit_Down_Kids)". She became a television personality in the 1970s with her [CBS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS) shows; first [_The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sonny_%26_Cher_Comedy_Hour), watched by over 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run, and then the eponymous [_Cher_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher_\(TV_series\)). She emerged as a fashion trendsetter by wearing elaborate outfits on her television shows.

While working on television, Cher released the US [_Billboard_ Hot 100](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100) number-one singles "[Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsys,_Tramps_%26_Thieves)", "[Half-Breed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Breed_\(song\))", and "[Dark Lady](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Lady_\(song\))", becoming the female artist with the most number-one singles in United States history at the time. After her divorce from [Sonny Bono](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Bono) in 1975, she released the [disco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco) album [_Take Me Home_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Me_Home_\(Cher_album\)) (1979) and earned $300,000 a week for her 1979–1982 [concert residency in Las Vegas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher_in_Concert).

In 1982, Cher made her Broadway debut in the play [_Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_Back_to_the_5_%26_Dime,_Jimmy_Dean,_Jimmy_Dean_\(play\)) and starred in its [film adaptation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_Back_to_the_5_%26_Dime,_Jimmy_Dean,_Jimmy_Dean_\(film\)). She subsequently garnered critical acclaim for her performances in films such as [_Silkwood_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkwood) (1983), [_Mask_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mask_\(1985_film\)) (1985), [_The Witches of Eastwick_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witches_of_Eastwick_\(film\)) (1987), and [_Moonstruck_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonstruck) (1987), the last of which won her the [Academy Award for Best Actress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Actress). She then revived her music career by recording the rock-inflected albums [_Cher_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher_\(1987_album\)) (1987), [_Heart of Stone_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Stone_\(Cher_album\)) (1989), and [_Love Hurts_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Hurts_\(Cher_album\)) (1991), all of which yielded successful singles such as ["I Found Someone"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Found_Someone#Cher_version), "[If I Could Turn Back Time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Could_Turn_Back_Time)", and "[Love and Understanding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_and_Understanding)". Cher contributed to the [soundtrack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaids_\(soundtrack\)) for her next film, [_Mermaids_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaids_\(1990_film\)) (1990), which spawned the UK number-one single "[The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shoop_Shoop_Song_\(It%27s_in_His_Kiss\)#Cher_version)". She made her directorial debut with a segment in the abortion-themed anthology [_If These Walls Could Talk_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_These_Walls_Could_Talk) (1996).

Cher reached a new commercial peak in 1998 with the [dance-pop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance-pop) album [_Believe_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Believe_\(Cher_album\)), whose [title track](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Believe_\(Cher_song\)) topped the [_Billboard_ Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1999](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1999) and became the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist in the UK. It features pioneering use of [Auto-Tune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-Tune) to distort her vocals, known as the "Cher effect". Her 2002–2005 [Living Proof: The Farewell Tour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Proof:_The_Farewell_Tour) became one of the [highest-grossing concert tours](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_concert_tours) of all time, earning $250 million. In 2008, she signed a $60 million deal to headline [the Colosseum at Caesars Palace](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colosseum_at_Caesars_Palace) in Las Vegas for three years. During the 2010s, she landed starring roles in the films [_Burlesque_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlesque_\(2010_American_film\)) (2010) and [_Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamma_Mia!_Here_We_Go_Again) (2018) and released studio albums [_Closer to the Truth_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closer_to_the_Truth) (2013) and [_Dancing Queen_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_Queen_\(album\)) (2018), both of which debuted at number three on the [_Billboard_ 200](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_200).

Having sold 100 million records, Cher is one of the world's [best-selling music artists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_music_artists). [Her achievements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Cher) include a [Grammy Award](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award), an [Emmy Award](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmy_Award), an [Academy Award](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award), three [Golden Globe Awards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Globe_Awards), the [_Billboard_ Icon Award](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Icon_Award), and awards from the [Kennedy Center Honors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Center_Honors) and the [Council of Fashion Designers of America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Fashion_Designers_of_America). She is the only artist to date to have a number-one single on a _Billboard_ chart in six consecutive decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s. Aside from music and acting, she is noted for her political views, social media presence, philanthropic endeavors, and social activism, including [LGBT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT) rights and [HIV/AIDS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS) prevention.

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*Originally published on [jake0et](https://paragraph.com/@jake0et/cher)*