From shy hippie performer to dance-club diva, Cher has reinvented her youthful image several times. As the Goddess of Pop turns 70 on May 20, here's a look back at her outstanding singing and acting career.
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Maybe she can turn back time: Cher at 70
It has been quipped that only cockroaches and Cher could survive a nuclear apocalypse. Based on her strength as she turns 70 on May 20, this might actually be true. Here's a look back at the life of this timeless icon.
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Dear Mom, Love Cher
Cher was born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946. Her mother, Georgia Holt (pictured here), was a moderately successful singer and actress. Her father, John Sarkisian, was an Armenian-American truck driver. Cher's childhood was marked by poverty and frequent moves across the US. Aged 16, she dropped out of high school and left for Los Angeles, where she met her future husband, Sonny Bono.
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I Got You Babe
Though Sonny Bono first planned to launch Cher as a solo act, she preferred to perform with him because of her stage fright. The performing couple Sonny & Cher became overnight stars with "I Got You Babe" in 1965. The failure of their marriage was revealed in 1974: Sonny had repeatedly cheated on Cher and tried to control her finances. Still, Cher delivered a tearful eulogy at his funeral in 1998.
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Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves
Cher's collaborations have come to include a wide array of performers, including Tina Turner, Wu-Tang Clan, Christina Aguilera, and, of course, Sonny Bono. She developed an affinity for up-and-coming artists and eccentric stars on the fringes of mainstream culture. She's pictured here with Gregg Allman, who said that working with Cher made him more "famous for being famous than for his music."
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Moonstruck
Few people in showbiz have managed to amass as impressive an array of awards as Cher. Through her career spanning over five decades, Cher won three Golden Globe Awards, one Grammy Award, one Emmy Award and even an Academy Award - for her performance in the 1988 romantic comedy "Moonstruck" (pictured here). The singer-cum-actress was already nominated for an Oscar for the 1984 drama "Silkwood."
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If I Could Turn Back Time
Cher's public image has largely been shaped by her love of cosmetic surgery, which allegedly began in the 80s. Her look changed from that of a natural ethnic beauty to that of a youthful and colorful diva, who daringly showed off her assets. Despite her quest to improve her appearance through face-lifts, Cher's actual persona has been perceived as one built on authenticity and modesty.
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Do you believe in life after love?
After recovering from a series of health issues, including chronic fatigue syndrome, Cher celebrated one of the greatest comebacks in pop history in 1998. "Believe" shot to top of the charts, establishing the so-called "Cher effect" - a deliberate manipulation of auto-tuning software - as a stylistic device in pop music. The album obtained three Grammy nominations, and won "Best Dance Recording."
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Woman's World
Cher's most recent album "Closer to the Truth" features some emancipated themes, with tracks like "Woman's World," "Take It Like a Man," and "I Walk Alone" evoking notions of empowerment and independence. Throughout her career, Cher has been an advocate of LGBT rights and women's liberation. She has a transgender son, Chaz Bono (born Chastity Bono in 1969), who completed his transition in 2010.
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Walking in Memphis - and beyond
With her elaborate costumes and campy dance numbers, Cher's shows have gained legendary status. Although she had announced that her 2002-2005 "Farewell Tour" would be her last - breaking box-office records - she's had a few more since. The dance floor diva keeps exerting her ever-growing influence on pop culture, with a Broadway show based on her hits set to debut in 2017.
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From her humble beginnings as Sonny Bono's sidekick to her breakthrough as a solo artist, along with her outstanding talent for acting, Cher has seen it all, done it all, and has probably managed to get a tattoo to commemorate every major life event along the way.
Her ever-shifting appearance and outspoken stances on many issues, including LGBT rights, have resulted in her having a cult following not only on the fringes of society but right in the heart of America's counterculture. Even those who don't enjoy her style and dislike her music cannot ignore her influence on popular culture.
But living on the fast lane of commercial success also came at a price for the pop diva, who is celebrating her 70th birthday on May 20: At the height of her success, Cher contracted the Epstein-Barr virus, which resulted in chronic fatigue syndrome. For a while, she only had the strength to make money by featuring in infomercials, selling beauty and health products.
Her career prospects slumped, but true to form, Cher bounced back, releasing a number of dance tracks in the late 1990s, including one of her most successful hits ever, "Believe."
Following that success, she spent three years touring world stages in the mid-2000s, saying this was her way of bidding "farewell" to the concert circuit. It turned out to be a clever marketing ploy: Cher has been back on stage, in the recording studio, and most likely at her plastic surgeon's, many times since.
As the Goddess of Pop turns 70, she can look back at an impressive career, which includes 25 studio albums, several highly acclaimed movie roles, one of the highest-grossing concert tours worldwide to date and much, much more for the world to forever Cher-ish.