You know you’ve made it in Hollywood when you can go by only your first name and people everywhere know who you are. Cher is one of those phenomenal stars whose career has spanned decades of popular culture. She has become one of the most successful and highest paying stars in the entertainment industry with her net worth being somewhere in the ballpark of $600 million.

Cher was born as Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere in 1946, in El Centro, California. Her mother, Georgia Holt was an aspiring actress and model with an interesting heritage. Her mother was of Irish, English, German, and Cherokee descent, while her father, John Sarkisian, was from Armenia. Cher’s parents split up when she was young and her mother took to the task of raising her. Gilbert LaPiere, her mother’s second husband later adopted Cher as his own daughter.

Cher chose not to finish high school after meeting Sonny Bono at a coffee shop when she was sixteen-years-old. At twenty-seven, the older Sonny was already working with a record producer at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. After quickly becoming good friends, Sonny helped Cher get into singing backup vocals at the studio on several recordings. Eventually Sonny and Cher fell in love and got married.

Sonny pushed Cher to record her own solo album. Her first song was recorded under the pseudonym, Bonnie Jo Mason, and it was entitled, "Ringo, I Love You." The song was a flop. Her second attempt at a solo single was much more successful. She recorded the song, "Dream Baby," under her own name, Cherilyn. The song was both written and produced by Sonny and both singles were released in 1964.

In 1965 Sonny and Cher recorded a duet together entitled, "I Got You Babe." The song became a smash hit and catapulted both Sonny and Cher into superstardom. At nineteen-years old, Cher had hit it big. Their first album, Look at Us, produced several top forty hits.

In 1969, after their music career began to stall, Sonny and Cher had their first child together, Chastity Bono. During that time, Sonny also wrote and produced the film Chastity; with the intention that Cher would make her dramatic debut as an actress. Unfortunately, the film was a commercial flop.

By 1974, Cher was becoming a successful solo act and the marriage of Sonny and Cher began to fall apart. They were divorced towards the end of 1974, in a grueling and public battle. Throughout the rest of the 1970’s and 1980’s Cher continued to achieve success with her solo career and even had her own television show. The Cher show debuted in 1975 and featured guest performances by Bette Midler, Elton John, and Flip Wilson. The show was a commercial success receiving several Emmy nominations later that year.

In the 1980s, besides maintaining her music career, Cher also decided to branch out into feature films. In 1983 she co-starred in the film, Silkwood, which also starred Meryl Streep and Kurt Russell. Her role received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Several other films followed in which she won many awards and critical acclaim.

In 1998, while Cher was in London, she received a phone call from her daughter who said that Sonny Bono had died in a skiing accident. Although the couple had been divorced for twenty-four years and both had remarried several times, the media focused on Cher as the grieving widow. She was invited to deliver the eulogy at his funeral.

In 2005 Cher held a farewell tour, which will supposedly be her last one. She has also signed a contract with Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to replace Celine Dion’s stage show in 2008. In recent years, Cher has also become an advocate for gay rights, possibly thanks to her daughter, who is open about being a lesbian. Cher is also known for her humanitarian work, particularly in raising AIDS awareness.

YUDDY