In a shocking revelation from her new memoir, legendary singer Cher disclosed that she contemplated suicide multiple times during her marriage to Sonny Bono, describing herself as "trapped" in what she calls a "loveless marriage."
The "Believe" singer reveals in "Cher: The Memoir, Part 1" that she stood at the edge of balconies five or six times, considering taking her own life. "I was dizzy with loneliness," Cher writes, describing moments where she saw "how easy it would be to step over the edge and simply disappear."
What stopped her from taking such drastic action was thinking about her loved ones - her young child Chaz Bono, mother Georgia, and sister Georganne. Cher also recognized that such an act could send a dangerous message to her fans.
The turning point came during a stay in Las Vegas when Cher had an epiphany: she didn't need to end her life - she could simply end the marriage. This realization led to her divorce from Bono in 1975, after 11 years together.
The couple's relationship began in 1963 when Cher was just 16 and Bono was 27. While they captured America's hearts as the musical duo Sonny & Cher, the reality behind closed doors was far different from their public persona.
Years later, Bono offered Cher a heartfelt apology for his behavior during their marriage. "One day he came into the kitchen at my house and said, 'Cher, I want to apologize. I realized that I hurt you in so many ways, and I was wrong,'" Cher recalled. This apology helped her find closure from the pain of their troubled marriage.
Sonny Bono passed away in 1998 in a skiing accident at Heavenly Mountain Resort, but Cher's candid revelations provide new insight into their complex relationship that once defined an era of pop culture.