Cher - 75: How the daughter of Armenian trucker Sargsyan became a legend of world pop music

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

May 20 marks the 75th anniversary of the famous singer and actress Cher. Her name is known all over the world, she was awarded the most prestigious music awards, 4 Golden Globe and Oscar awards, she is called the goddess of pop music. But on the way to her success, she had to overcome many difficulties and experience a lot of disappointments. Why Sherilyn Sargsyan did not communicate with her father, because of what in her youth she was ashamed of her appearance, how her daughter became a son, and which of the men took away her hope for a happy marriage - further in the review.

Armenian roots and children's complexes

Her real name is Sherilyn Sargsyan. Her mother, Georgia Holt, was a little-known American actress with Indian and French roots, and her father, a native of Armenia, Karapet Sargsyan, worked as a truck driver. When their daughter was born, they had already parted. Sherilyn saw her father for the first time at the age of 11, but he still did not establish communication with her, and after years she said that she did not know her father at all. As a child, she was very shy and very worried about her appearance, which was far from beauty standards. Her self-doubt was aggravated by attacks from her peers, who teased her because of her large nose, crooked teeth and an elongated face shape. She lamented: "".

Her mother was engaged in the arrangement of her personal life, and Sherilyn was left to her own devices. She studied poorly at school, and spent all her free time in cinemas and at rock concerts. At the age of 13, she first appeared at the police station: one of her friends asked for a ride in his own car, and then left somewhere. A policeman approached the car, asked her to show documents, which, of course, she did not have, and the girl was accused of stealing the car and taken to the police station.

The beginning of the way

At the age of 16, Sherilyn left for Los Angeles to enroll in acting classes. She was in seventh heaven when she managed to meet Hollywood star Warren Beatty. They began an affair that did not last long and left bitter memories. She later admitted: "".

Once, in one of the cafes, Sherilyn met musician Sonny Bono, who worked as an assistant to producer Phil Spector and invited her to get a backing vocalist in their studio, and later - to perform with him in the duet "Sonny and Cher". Soon, their professional relationship grew into a romantic one, and they got married. Together they recorded the song "I Got You Babe", which became a huge hit and reached the first positions in the US and UK charts. This song was probably remembered by many viewers who watched the film "Groundhog Day" - it was to her that the main character woke up every morning. In the 1960s. the couple released several music albums. At the same time, Cher began acting in films, however, her first roles did not bring her success.

How the singer's daughter became a son

At the age of 23, while filming the movie "Chastity", Cher learned that she and Sonny Bono will have a child. In 1969, they had a daughter, whom the artist decided to call Chastity. At the age of 40, she made a decision that shocked her mother - she underwent gender reassignment surgery and began calling herself by the male name Chaz. For Cher, this was a blow, for a long time she could not come to terms with her daughter's choice and accept it.

Later, the artist admitted: "".

Finest hour

After 12 years, their family union with Sonny cracked. The singer said: "". In 1974, Sonny and Cher divorced, but for some time they continued to appear together on television in the joint brainchild of Comedy Hour with Sonny and Cher. In parallel, the singer took up solo activities. A year after the divorce, she married rock musician Greg Allman, released a joint album with him and gave birth to a son, Elijah. The artist's second marriage broke up 2 years later due to her husband's addiction to illegal drugs.

In the 1980s. Cher's acting and musical careers took off. The film "Silkwood", where she played in tandem with Meryl Streep, was nominated for an Oscar, and four years later Cher received the coveted statuette for her role in the movie "In the Moon's Rule". In the same year, the film "Eastwick Witches" was released, which brought the actress worldwide fame and popularity.

She is called a unique singer, because she managed to remain popular for half a century: her songs reached the top ten "Billboard Hot 100" for 50 years in a row. Cher is considered the best in her musical career to be the disc "Believe", the title track of which in 1998 became an international hit and brought her a Grammy. Cher's farewell tour lasted 3 years, from 2002 to 2005, and became the most commercially successful tour of a female singer in the history of pop music.

Living legend

Even after Cher said goodbye to the stage, she did not disappear from the sight of her fans. At 64, she co-starred in the musical Burlesque, which grossed over $ 50 million, and at 72, she reappeared in Mamma Mia 2.

Today she is called a living legend, because she won the love of millions of fans around the world. The artist looks much younger than her years and is still in excellent physical shape. She never hid the fact that, in pursuit of eternal youth, she repeatedly turned to plastic surgeons for help. She never named the exact number of operations and admitted back in the 1980s that there was not a single living place on her body. The singer explains her desire to constantly change as follows: "". And, apparently, she succeeds!

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