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On the surface, Cher and Sonny Bono had a perfect romance, until it all came crashing down.
But their whirlwind romance and powerhouse musical talent won over America.
Behind the scenes, however, things weremuch darker and more tragic for Cher.
According to the music icon, Sonny became controlling and exercised that control through their finances.
Cher felt trapped and, after considering suicide, in 1974 decided to end things with Sonny instead.
Sonny filed for legal separation, and Cher responded the next week by filing for divorce.
In fact,Cher earned nearly no money from their work as a music duo.
Cher was technically an employee of Cher Enterprises, under contract to her own husband.
“He was like the father.
He never hit me, never really yelled at me.
“I went to him and said, ‘Look, break the contract.
I’m 27 years old.
That led to Sonny using the visits as ammo in their custody battle.
“Shocked, Sonny asked me, ‘Are you really going to stick to that?’
To which I replied, ‘Of course not, dummy.
you’re able to see her whenever you like,'” Cher wrote in her memoir.
“We had a strange relationship.
“I can’t explain it, because it was weird.
But I know what it was, and it was what it was.”
Cher, meanwhile, sparked a romance with record producer David Geffen amid her contentious divorce proceedings.
The pair dated for two years.
… We were really crazy about each other.”
