Audacious Facts About Sonny Bono, Cher’s Worse Half
Sonny Bono and Cher's celebrity romance wasn't the fairytale it seemed to be. But that wasn't all. Fate had the darkest twist in store for Sonny—and he never saw it coming.
1. He Started From The Bottom
Born in 1935, Sonny Bono’s dreams were too big for his humble beginnings. Sonny always knew he wanted to work in music and was willing to do whatever it took. This included dropping out of school and working as a butcher’s assistant. He eventually worked his way up, landing a job working behind the scenes.
But Sonny found out the hard way that this industry was hard—a lesson he’d soon learn about love.
2. He Married The Wrong Woman
A cute girl and a meet cute, what could go wrong? Turns out, everything. Sonny and Donna Rankin’s run-in at a drive-in theater turned into marriage and a baby by 1959. But their heartwarming beginnings turned ugly once they couldn’t ignore their differences. After calling it quits, Sonny didn’t waste any time.
3. He Was Too Old For Her
In 1963, Sonny met his destiny in a coffee shop—but had no idea at the time. Sonny was 27 and technically stillmarried to Donna. Cher was sweet and 16. She was already dating Red Baldwin, an older man also in the music industry. However, none of these dealbreakers stopped the teenage girl from falling head over heels. Music would never be the same.
4. He Didn’t Feel The Same Way
It was straight out of a movie…well it almost was. When Cher first laid eyes on Sonny, she thought to herself, “That's the strangest man I’ve ever seen in my life”. Still, she couldn't deny that she felt drawn to him instantly, later describing the experience, she said, “everyone else in the room disappeared".
But shockingly, the feeling was not mutual.
