Cher's Complete Transformation Since The '60s

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Cher has been one of the world's biggest stars since the '60s. She first found success as half of Sonny and Cher alongside her then-husband, Sonny Bono. The duo were TV and music superstars and welcomed their only child together, Chaz Bono, in 1969. But Cher's undergone a transformation like no other since the halcyon days of the '60s. "My life seems to be longer than any other human being ever," she joked to The Guardian in 2023. "I feel like I should be in the Guinness Book of World Records for this. And I'm still going!"

Much of that longevity has been achieved via constant reinvention and refusing to let age dictate how she should look or act. The pop icon, born Cheryl Sarkisian, has repeatedly reintroduced herself through hard work, outrageous fashion, and originality. She never gave up on her dream either, despite setbacks like being dropped by her record label or the sudden death of her ex-husband. "When I think about my life, it was a really good life. It was hard. It was crazy. And it was laced with amazing and treacherous and sad, like everybody's life," she told Billboard.

Part of that hardship came in the late '60s. She revealed in "Cher: The Memoir, Part One" that she and Bono experienced major financial difficulties and owed six figures in taxes. "You come from nothing and suddenly you've got all this money ... and people are screaming for you all over the world and you think it's gonna last forever. Then one day it dries up and you realize you never had any backup," she wrote (via Business Insider). In Cher's case, though, she made the money back — and more. And fame? It did last forever. But with a few hiccups along the way.

In the early 1970s, Cher and Sonny Bono worked hard to pay their tax bill. In addition to their musical success, they were major TV stars thanks to shows like "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" and "The Sonny and Cher Show." Music-wise, they continued releasing music together, but Cher also garnered solo attention. She released several hits, including the Billboard Hot 100 number ones "Half Breed" and "Dark Lady." As expected, Cher wore some dazzling '70s outfits throughout this time.

But, behind the scenes, cracks formed. People shared excerpts from the couple's diary entries, in which Bono suggested they'd all but broken up by 1972 and barely spoke to each other behind the scenes of their shows. The diary entries also claimed Cher told Bono she'd fallen in love with their guitarist Bill Hamm, and they only pretended to be together for the sake of their careers. Cher and Bono separated in 1974, and their divorce was finalized the following year. "I still liked him. I still loved him. I mean, even when he did terrible things, I loved him because he was like my brother, my father, he was my husband, he was all things. It was just that some of the parts that he played in my life weren't nice," Cher later said on "Live with Kelly and Mark."

Cher didn't waste much time moving on. The same week her divorce became final, she married musician Gregg Allman. But 10 days after their wedding, she filed for divorce, only for them to reconcile. They released the album "Two the Hard Way" under the name Allman And Woman and welcomed a son, Elijah Blue Allman. They split in 1979.

With two divorces behind Cher, the mom of two was ready for something new as the '80s approached. She'd legally changed her name to Cher and reinvented her sound to embrace a more camp aesthetic. She leaned into disco and pop, two of the hottest genres of the time, via the single "Take Me Home." But she still wanted to be a rockstar. In 1980, Cher formed the rock band Black Rose and released a rock album, but the musical venture failed to set the world alight. The band disbanded in 1981 and made way for Cher's solo career.

Cher wasn't seeing the same musical success as she did with Sonny and Cher (her 1982 album "I Paralyze" didn't even chart on the Billboard Top 200), so she turned to Sin City. "I went to Las Vegas — which they called the elephant's graveyard — and I had a huge show, lots of people, bungees, all that and they just said, 'Oh God, she's so over.' But I never gave up my dream," she reflected at the iHeartRadio's 2024 Awards (via Variety). As her singing career struggled, Cher decided to pursue acting, but felt the world had turned its back on her. "I knew all these famous people, but none of them would give me the time of day," she recalled to The New York Times.

Through the ups and downs of work, though, Cher continued making waves in fashion. She met stylist Bob Mackie in 1967, and the two started pushing style boundaries in the '80s, like exposing her midriff. "Nothing intimidated her. It never occurred to her to wear anything ordinary," he told The New Yorker. And Cher and Mackie certainly had some iconic red carpet moments.

Despite the career lull, Cher made her Broadway debut in "Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" in 1982. The play was turned into a movie, and Cher's acting chops got director Mike Nichols' attention. He offered her a role in the 1983 movie "Silkwood" alongside Meryl Streep. The movie put Cher back on the celeb map and majorly bolstered her status as an actor, as she was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. That led to more acting roles in the likes of "Mask," "The Witches of Eastwick," and "Moonstruck". She won an Oscar for the latter but was unhappy she wasn't nominated for "Mask." She hit back by attending the 1986 Oscars in a huge headdress and an exposed midriff. Bob Mackie later told The New Yorker the getup was an intentional attention grab amid the snub.

In 1987, Cher returned to music via her self-titled pop-rock album. The single "I Found Someone" became her first single to reach the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 since 1979. But she looked a little different than before. In 1988, Cher confirmed she'd had plastic surgery. "I've been upfront about saying that I had my nose done, my breasts done and had braces on my teeth. The rest is nonsense," she said (via New Beauty), shutting down claims she'd had a rib removed for cosmetic reasons.

Amid her physical transformation, the success kept coming. She released one of her most famous singles, "If I Could Turn Back Time," in 1989, and, in 1990, she combined acting and singing when she appeared in "Mermaids." She released a cover of "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" for the soundtrack. 

In the early 1990s, Cher was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which had a major impact on her career. She took a step back from acting and singing and began appearing in infomercials, which she told Entertainment Weekly she did as a favor for a friend. But the move wasn't a smart one. Her star power plummeted, and the world poked fun at her new role. "The infomercials were just devastating to my career. I've always just done what I wanted and it's just worked out," she said. "Not this time. I really screwed up."

But, Cher being Cher, there was always time for a comeback. In 1995, she released the album "It's a Man's World," which featured covers of songs traditionally sung by men. She also appeared in the TV movie "If These Walls Could Talk" with Demi Moore, which helped get her career back on track. "Queen of the Comeback, Cher Tries Yet Again," The New York Times declared at the time, and Cher opened up about why she was seemingly repeatedly stepping in and out of the spotlight on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." "Sometimes, it's just too intense. Sometimes, I just have to go away from it. It's just too hard for me, you know? ... It's just, it kind of keeps me able to continue," she explained.

Though Cher and Sonny Bono's relationship had been up and down over the years, she didn't hide her heartbreak over his sudden death following a skiing accident in 1998. Cher shared an emotional eulogy (via YouTube) at her former husband's funeral, recalling how they first met aged 16. "What people don't realize is that he created Sonny and Cher. And he knew what was right for us, you know? He just always knew the right thing," she said through tears. The superstar ended her emotional words by telling the world, "When I was young, there was this section in the Reader's Digest. And it was called 'The Most Unforgettable Character I've Ever Met.' And, for me, that person is Sonny Bono. And no matter how long I live or who I meet in my life, that person will always be 'Son' for me."

She'd later tell People that she and Bono were regularly in contact following their divorce and revealed it was their child, Chaz Bono, who informed her of his sudden death. Cher recalled dropping to the floor after hearing the devastating news and crying hysterically before immediately flying back to the U.S. from London. That same year, Cher gave fans an intimate look at her life when she released her first memoir. In "The First Time," the star spoke candidly about her childhood, rise to fame, and what life was like with Bono.

Amid the sadness of Sonny Bono's death, Cher overhauled her look and sound again. She released one of her most successful albums to date, "Believe," which she dedicated to her late ex-husband. The iconic album shifted her sound from pop-rock to pop-disco and electropop. Speaking on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Cher recalled she'd been dropped by her record label before she released the song, but was encouraged to continue by the then head of Warner Music U.K. "[He] said, 'I believe in you,' and, 'Come to me and I will help you,'" she recalled, sharing that he introduced her to the song. Cher notes that she re-wrote the verses to make it more her style.

After some tense words were exchanged in the recording studio, Cher's producer heavily autotuned the track to get its instantly recognizable sound. "It was unbelievable because there was never anything like it," she recalled. The catchy track and album of the same name became huge hits and catapulted Cher back onto the A-List. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and gave Cher the record of longest gap between number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (her previous was "Dark Lady" in 1974). She'd later say of the song during her 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech (via Rolling Stone), "I changed the sound of music forever, all right? And 'Believe' really changed the sound of music."

By 2002, Cher was in her mid-50s and announced plans to retire from touring. She embarked on "Living Proof — The Farewell Tour," which she claimed would be her last (spoiler: it wasn't). The shows, which saw the star run through her decades of hits, were hugely popular and grossed over $200 million across the world, according to Billboard. She also took a nostalgic look back on her career via the compilation album "The Very Best of Cher," which was certified three times platinum in 2025.

Fans weren't just enthralled by her music, though. Cher's ageless appearance sparked headlines across the world. After being open about her nips and tucks in the past, she slammed dramatic plastic surgery allegations. "I've had the same cheeks my entire life. No butt lifts. No ribs removed," she told "ABC News." The star was also quick to remind the world that, despite her decades in the spotlight, she was still the same girl. "I never ever ever changed that part of me because you can't change who you really are. Underneath all this fluff and crap is me ... it's just me. It's just me like I was 6 years old. I haven't changed in all that time," she said. 

Her career, though? That was still evolving. In 2010, she returned to the big screen alongside Christina Aguilera for the movie "Burlesque." Despite claiming "Living Proof — The Farewell Tour," would be her final tour, she hit the road again in 2014 for the "Dressed to Kill Tour."

In 2018, Cher fully embraced her camp aesthetic. She returned to films with an appearance in the movie musical "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again," which coincided with her cover album of ABBA songs, "Dancing Queen." Proving she definitely wasn't done with touring, Cher was on the road again for her "Here We Go Again Tour" in 2019. The hugely popular string of shows ran for two years but was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cher slowed down her busy life, traveling the globe amid the pandemic. The star told Billboard she spent much of her newfound downtime with her son, Elijah Allman, and his wife, who lived with her, and catching up with friends and her mom, who was in her 90s, by talking through windows. "It's incredibly easy and I don't feel like I'm suffering in any kind of way," Cher said. But she was also determined to help those who were. She started her own nonprofit, CherCares Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative, which aimed to help marginalized people amid the unprecedented time.

In 2022, Cher became a celebrity who found love later in life. The Grammy winner began dating music executive Alexander "AE" Edwards, who was 40 years younger than her. She was 76, and he was 36, and pics of Cher and Edwards make their age gap undeniable. "On paper, it's kind of ridiculous. But in real life, we get along great," she said on "The Kelly Clarkson Show." "He's fabulous. And I don't give men qualities that they don't deserve, you know. He's very kind, he's very smart, he's very talented. and he's really funny. And I think he's quite handsome," she continued.

Though the couple had an age gap far greater than the years science suggests is best for a successful relationship, Cher didn't care. And neither did her boyfriend. "He just says, 'You know, you get older, but your spirit is younger,'" she said on "CBS Mornings." She added, "We laugh all the time, you know? I just love him." When rumors swirled in 2025 that the two were set to walk down the aisle, though, her rep was quick to shut down the wedding chatter to the Independent.

Amid her blossoming love life, the singer and actor opened up about how she'd come to accept herself more as she prepared to enter her ninth decade. "I used to not like Cher, but I'm much more used to her now," Cher told The Guardian in 2023. "I think she's improved," she teased. That same year, she expanded her business portfolio via her own gelato company.

By 2024, Cher was fully embracing nostalgia. She looked back on her incredibly impressive musical career via the compilation album "Forever," which included 60 years of solo tracks and some of her biggest hits as Sonny and Cher. That same year, she was (finally!) inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cher also took a look back on her incredibly impressive and unique life in the first half of her two-part memoir, "Cher: Part One: The Memoir," a '90s star memoir that deserves a spot on your reading list.

Understandably, as she was in her late 70s at the time, the hitmaker shared plans to step away from music. She teased plans for a new album, which hasn't been released at the time of writing, but told attendees at a London event it would likely be her last. "I'm older than dirt now, OK?," she joked to the crowd (via The Sun). "It's weird too because I know I'm older, but I don't know how to feel it. I don't know how to feel any different than the way I've always felt," she added.

In 2026, the superstar celebrated a major milestone when she turned 80. Cher, who's repeatedly confronted aging with confidence, spoke about the big birthday a couple of years earlier on "Good Morning Britain," reiterating that getting older will never change her. "I will still be wearing my jeans, and I will still be wearing long hair, and I will still doing the same stuff I have always done," she said. Clearly, Cher isn't going anywhere. And that's just the way we like it.