When Sonny And Cher Got Divorced: The Biggest Pop Split Of The 20th Century

By | February 16, 2020

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1974: Entertainers Sonny Bono and Cher attend the circus with their daughter Chastity Bono. Cher performed as ringmaster at the opening day of the Ringling Brothers Circus. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

When Sonny Bono and Cher declared "I Got You Babe" to musical accompaniment, it was more than a #1 single, it was a theme song. Their divorce, a decade later, felt like the end of an era, or even a loss of innocence. Sonny and Cher were in love, dammit! They wrote a song about it and had all that cute banter on stage, and on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. But on February 20, 1974, Cher filed for divorce, and the feeling was mutual. Sonny and Cher were splitsville. Like Martin & Lewis, like Simon & Garfunkel, the binding "and" was gone. Sonny continued as Sonny Bono, and later won election to the U.S. Congress. Cher continued her rise as a singer and actress.

Sonny And Cher Weren't Just Celebrities, They Were People Too

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Sunny and Cher, one of the most iconic celebrity couples (pinterest)

Few relationships stand the test of time but that doesn’t mean they were a failure. The long, complicated, and passionate relationship between Sonny and Cher might serve as the perfect example of such a fruitful but ultimately ill-fated relationship.

Their marriage yielded radio hits, a child, and a very successful comedy hour but it was doomed to fail. Like many marriages, their relationship fell apart as they changed as people. Here’s the topsy turvy story of Sonny and Cher.