Cher claims Sonny Bono "took all my money" when they were married
19 November 2024, 13:58
"It didn't occur to me that there was another way."
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Cher and Sonny Bono had a tremendous professional relationship, releasing five albums together and a string of massive hit singles.
On the personal side, things were a lot more tempestuous. They married in 1964 and had plenty of ups and downs before they finally divorced in 1975, and Cher has now accused her late ex-husband of effectively stealing all her money.
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Cher told The New York Times that she didn't blame Sonny for becoming friends with her when he was 27 and she was just 16.
"It wasn't a #MeToo moment because I lied to him," Cher said, but she added that she still couldn't forgive him because "there were some things he did that were ridiculous".
She explained that at their home Bono acted as though it was "my way or the highway" and that she trusted him to manage their financial affairs.
"He took all my money," Cher said. "I just thought, We're husband and wife. Half the things are his, half the things are mine. It didn't occur to me that there was another way.
“To this day, I wish to God I could just ask, 'Son, at what point, during what day, did you go, 'Yeah, you know what? I'm going to take her money''."
Years after their divorce, Sonny and Cher had an emotional on-screen reunion when they performed their old duet 'I Got You Babe' on Late Night with David Letterman.
Sonny & Cher reunite for the last time to sing 'I Got You Babe' on Letterman (1987)
The rendition on November 13, 1987 was the last ever performance by the pair, with Sonny tragically dying in a skiing accident in 1998.
Last year, Cher said that it "went a long way" when Sonny once offered a heartfelt apology for all the times he had hurt her.
"The fact that he came and said it meant something to me, that at least he acknowledged that he had been hurtful," she said.
