Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop duo and entertainment couple consisting of Salvatore “Sonny” Bono (1935–1998) and Cherilyn “Cher” Sarkisian (born 1946). Meeting in 1962 (Cher at 16, Sonny 27), they started as session singers (Phil Spector backups) before recording as Caesar & Cleo. Renamed Sonny & Cher, they married in 1964 and hit big with “I Got You Babe” (No. 1, 1965), “Baby Don’t Go,” and “The Beat Goes On.” Their hippie-chic image and banter led to TV fame (The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, 1971–1974). Hits included “All I Ever Need Is You” and solo successes (Cher’s “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves”). They divorced in 1975 amid personal/professional strains but reunited professionally briefly. Sonny became a Republican congressman (1995–1998) until his skiing death in 1998 at 62. Cher continued as a global superstar (films, Vegas, hits like “Believe”). Their legacy blends 1960s folk-pop, variety TV, and a complicated personal story of young love, fame, and reinvention. Inducted into halls of fame, they symbolize mid-1960s counterculture crossover and enduring entertainment partnership.