Cher Considered Suicide While Trapped in "Loveless Marriage" With Sonny Bono
"I saw how easy it would be to step over the edge."
Cher is reflecting on the best and the worst moments of her life in her new book, Cher: The Memoir, Part One. In a particularly heartbreaking chapter, Cher looked back on her marriage to fellow singer Sonny Bono.
The "Believe" singer first met Bono in 1962 when she was just 16; at the time, he was 27 and separated from his first wife, American Songwriter reported. Cher and Bono officially tied the knot in 1969, before finalizing their divorce in 1975.
While the pair experienced immense professional success together, Cher didn't thrive in the relationship. In her new book, the icon shared that she felt "trapped" in a "loveless marriage," often feeling as though there was no way out, via People.
Recounting one especially distressing evening in Las Vegas in 1972, Cher revealed that she stepped out on to her hotel balcony and considered ending her life. "I was dizzy with loneliness," she explained. "I saw how easy it would be to step over the edge and simply disappear."
Cher continued, "For a few crazy minutes I couldn't imagine any other option. I did this five or six times."
Cher and Sonny Bono circa 1970.
Explaining why she ultimately decided against suicide, Cher referenced her young child, Chaz Bono, mother Georgia, and sister Georganne. "[T]hings like this could make people who look up to me feel that it's a viable solution," Cher noted.
Ultimately, Cher's darkest moments led to the realization she shouldn't be married to Bono. "I don't have to jump off," she shared in the book. "I can just leave him."
Sonny Bono and Cher at the Golden Globes in 1973.
In an interview with The New York Times to promote her book, Cher recalled feeling as though her husband was "like a parent." The more famous the pair became, the more controlling Bono allegedly was.
"He took all my money," Cher told the outlet. "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."
The legendary musician has had a lot of time to reflect on the marriage, telling the publication, "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.'"
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741, or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
