Editing Cher (section)

{{Short description|American singer and actress (born 1946)}}
{{other uses}}
{{Featured article}}
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{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Cher
| image              = Cher in 2019 cropped.jpg
| caption            = Cher in 2019
| alt                = Cher sings on stage in a gold, beaded outfit with fringe detailing, wearing a large sunburst-style headpiece and long, platinum blonde hair.
| birth_name         = Cheryl Sarkisian{{efn|name=Cheryl}}
| alias              = {{ubl|Cherilyn Sarkisian{{efn|name=Cheryl}}|Cheryl LaPiere<ref name=Cheryl-LaPiere>{{cite web |url=https://californiabirthindex.org/birth/cheryl_lapiere_born_1946_3214561 |title=Cheryl LaPiere, Born 1946 |publisher=[[California Birth Index]] |access-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201194927/https://californiabirthindex.org/birth/cheryl_lapiere_born_1946_3214561 |url-status=live}}</ref>|Bonnie Jo Mason|Chér|Cher Bono|Cher Allman}}
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1946|5|20}}
| birth_place        = [[El Centro, California]], US
| occupation         = {{hlist|Singer|actress|television personality}}
| years_active       = 1963–present
| works              = {{hlist|[[Cher albums discography|Albums]]|[[Cher singles discography|singles]]|[[List of songs recorded by Cher|songs]]|[[Sonny & Cher discography|duo discography]]|[[Cher videography|videography]]|[[Cher filmography|filmography]]|[[List of Cher concerts|concerts]]}}
| spouses            = {{unbulleted list|{{marriage|[[Sonny Bono]]|1969|1975|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|[[Gregg Allman]]|1975|1979|end=divorced}}}}
| partner            = Alexander Edwards
| children           = {{unbulleted list|[[Chaz Bono]]|[[Elijah Blue Allman]]}}
| mother             = [[Georgia Holt]]
| awards             = {{hlist|[[List of awards and nominations received by Cher|Full list]]}}
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed              = yes
| genre              = {{hlist|[[Pop music|Pop]]|[[rock music|rock]]|[[Folk music|folk]]|[[dance music|dance]]}}
| instrument         = Vocals
| label              = {{hlist|[[Atco Records|Atco]]|[[Casablanca Records|Casablanca]]|[[Columbia Records|Columbia]]|[[Geffen Records|Geffen]]|[[Imperial Records|Imperial]]|[[Kapp Records|Kapp]]|[[MCA Records|MCA]]|[[Reprise Records|Reprise]]|[[United Artists Records|United Artists]]|[[Warner Records|Warner]]}}
| past_member_of     = {{hlist|[[Sonny & Cher]]}}
| website            = {{URL|https://cher.com}}}}
| signature          = Cher signature.svg
}}

'''Cher'''{{efn|Cher [[Name change|legally adopted]] her [[mononym]] in 1979.<ref name=mononym/>}} ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|ɛər|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Cher.wav}} {{respell|SHAIR}}; born '''Cheryl Sarkisian''',{{efn|name=Cheryl|Cher's birth certificate lists her name as Cheryl Sarkisian, contrary to the long-reported Cherilyn. Cher later discovered this when formally changing her name to "Cher", attributing the discrepancy to her mother's recollection of naming her after actress [[Lana Turner]]'s daughter, [[Cheryl Crane]], and her grandmother, Lynda.<ref>{{cite web |last=Harvilla |first=Rob |date=November 19, 2024 |title=14 Stunning Stories From Cher's (First) Memoir |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/cher-the-memoir-best-stories-part-one.html |website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] |access-date=November 22, 2024 |quote="Cher writes that when she later formally changed her name, she found out that the name on her birth certificate was, to her own mom's surprise, not Cherilyn but Cheryl. 'I was only a teenager and I was in a lot of pain,' Cher's mother told her. 'Give me a break.'" |archive-date=November 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241122212601/https://www.vulture.com/article/cher-the-memoir-best-stories-part-one.html |url-status=live}}</ref>}} May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music|Goddess of Pop]]", she is known for her [[Androgyny|androgynous]] [[contralto]] voice, [[Music and fashion|bold visual presentation]] and [[Multiple careers|multifaceted career]], while cultivating a [[Persona|screen persona]] that mirrors her public image by often portraying strong-willed and outspoken women. An [[Cultural impact of Cher|influential figure in popular culture]], her continual reinvention has fueled multiple [[Comeback (publicity)|comebacks]] over a career spanning more than six decades.

Cher rose to fame in 1965 as part of the [[folk rock]] duo [[Sonny & Cher]], early exponents of [[1960s counterculture]], while also scoring solo top-ten singles such as "[[Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)]]". In the 1970s, she topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100]] with [[Storytelling|narrative]] [[Pop music|pop]] songs "[[Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves]]", "[[Half-Breed (song)|Half-Breed]]" and "[[Dark Lady (song)|Dark Lady]]". After focusing on acting, she reemerged in a [[hair metal]] style with the albums ''[[Cher (1987 album)|Cher]]'' (1987), ''[[Heart of Stone (Cher album)|Heart of Stone]]'' (1989) and ''[[Love Hurts (Cher album)|Love Hurts]]'' (1991), producing international number-one singles "[[If I Could Turn Back Time]]" and "[[The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)#Cher version|The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)]]". At 52, she reached a commercial peak with the [[dance-pop]] album ''[[Believe (Cher album)|Believe]]'' (1998), which introduced the "Cher effect"—a stylized use of [[Auto-Tune]] to distort vocals. The [[Believe (Cher song)|title track]] became [[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1999|1999's number-one song in the US]] and [[List of best-selling singles in the United Kingdom|the UK's best-selling single by a female artist]]. In the 21st century, she released her highest-charting [[Billboard 200|US ''Billboard'' 200]] albums, ''[[Closer to the Truth]]'' (2013) and ''[[Dancing Queen (album)|Dancing Queen]]'' (2018), both of which debuted at number three.

Cher became a TV star in the 1970s with ''[[The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour]]'' and her solo show ''[[Cher (TV series)|Cher]]'', both on [[CBS]], attracting over 30&nbsp;million weekly viewers. She gained critical acclaim after debuting on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and starring in the [[Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (film)|film adaptation]] of ''[[Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (play)|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 the [[Oscar for Best Actress]] for the latter—and received the [[Cannes Film Festival's Best Actress Award]] for ''[[Mask (1985 film)|Mask]]'' (1985). Other starring roles include ''[[The Witches of Eastwick (film)|The Witches of Eastwick]]'' (1987), ''[[Mermaids (1990 film)|Mermaids]]'' (1990), ''[[If These Walls Could Talk]]'' (1996, her directorial debut), ''[[Tea with Mussolini]]'' (1999), ''[[Burlesque (2010 American film)|Burlesque]]'' (2010) and ''[[Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again]]'' (2018). Her life and career inspired the 2018 [[jukebox musical]] ''[[The Cher Show (musical)|The Cher Show]]''.

Cher is one of [[List of best-selling music artists|the best-selling music artists in history]], with estimated global sales of over 100&nbsp;million records. She is a [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] [[List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees|inductee]] and the only solo artist with number-one singles on the [[Billboard charts|US ''Billboard'' charts]] in seven consecutive decades (1960s–2020s).{{efn|name=BillboardNumberOnes|Cher has achieved 16 number-one singles across [[Billboard charts|US ''Billboard'' charts]] over seven decades. In the 1960s, she topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] with "[[I Got You Babe]]" (1965) as part of [[Sonny & Cher]].<ref name=BBcharts2011>{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/473595/cher-shines-with-no-1-in-sixth-consecutive-decade |title=Cher Shines with No. 1 in Sixth Consecutive Decade |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=January 18, 2011 |access-date=January 17, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201011748/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/473595/cher-shines-with-no-1-in-sixth-consecutive-decade |archive-date=February 1, 2016}}</ref> She scored three solo Hot 100 number-ones in the 1970s: "[[Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves]]" (1971), "[[Half-Breed (song)|Half-Breed]]" (1973) and "[[Dark Lady (song)|Dark Lady]]" (1974), while Sonny & Cher's "[[All I Ever Need Is You (song)|All I Ever Need Is You]]" led [[Adult Contemporary]] in 1972.<ref name=BBcharts2011/> In the 1980s, she topped Adult Contemporary with "[[After All (Cher and Peter Cetera song)|After All]]" and "[[If I Could Turn Back Time]]" (both 1989).<ref name=BBcharts2011/> The 1990s saw "[[Believe (Cher song)|Believe]]" (1998) lead multiple charts, including the Hot 100, followed by [[Dance Club Songs]] number-ones "[[Strong Enough (Cher song)|Strong Enough]]" and "[[All or Nothing (Cher song)|All or Nothing]]" (both 1999).<ref name=BBcharts2011/> In the 2000s and 2010s, she topped Dance Club Songs with "[[Song for the Lonely]]"<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-club-play-songs/2002-04-06/ |title=Dance Club Songs: The Week of April 6, 2002 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=April 6, 2002 |access-date=March 1, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328002748/https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-club-play-songs/2002-04-06/ |archive-date=March 28, 2018}}</ref> and "[[A Different Kind of Love Song]]"<ref name=BBcharts2011/> (both 2002), "[[When the Money's Gone#Cher version|When the Money's Gone]]" (2003),<ref name=BBcharts2011/> "[[You Haven't Seen the Last of Me]]" (2011)<ref name=BBcharts2011/> and "[[Woman's World (Cher song)|Woman's World]]" (2013).<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/473595/cher-shines-with-no-1-in-sixth-consecutive-decade |title=Cher Runs the 'World': Diva Talks No. 1 Dance Single and 'Eclectic' New Album |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=August 2, 2013 |access-date=March 1, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250108115510/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/cher-runs-the-world-diva-talks-no-1-dance-single-and-eclectic-new-5638055/ |archive-date=January 8, 2025}}</ref> In the 2020s, "[[DJ Play a Christmas Song]]" (2023) led multiple charts, including Adult Contemporary.<ref name=BB2023>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/cher-no-1-song-billboard-chart-seventh-decade-dj-play-a-christmas-song-1235518147/ |title=Cher Scores No. 1 Song on a ''Billboard'' Chart In Seventh Decade With 'DJ Play a Christmas Song' |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=November 30, 2023 |access-date=December 12, 2023 |archive-date=December 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215214212/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/cher-no-1-song-billboard-chart-seventh-decade-dj-play-a-christmas-song-1235518147/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}} [[List of awards and nominations received by Cher|Her accolades]] include an [[Academy Award]], a [[Grammy Award]], an [[Emmy Award]], three [[Golden Globes]], the [[Billboard Icon Award|''Billboard'' Icon Award]] and the [[Kennedy Center Honors]]. Her 2002–2005 [[Living Proof: The Farewell Tour]] was [[List of highest-grossing concert tours|the highest-grossing concert tour by a female artist]] at the time, earning $250&nbsp;million—about ${{inflation|US|250|2005|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{CURRENTYEAR}}. Beyond music and acting, Cher is known for her [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] politics and advocacy for causes including [[LGBTQ rights by country or territory|LGBTQ rights]] and [[HIV/AIDS]] awareness.