Cher is an absolute anomaly. Think about it. She’s had a number-one hit in seven consecutive decades, she’s won an Oscar, and she literally pioneered the use of Auto-Tune. But for some reason, whenever people get to talking about the Goddess of Pop, the conversation inevitably circles back to her love life. People are fascinated. They want to know the logistics. Specifically, they keep asking: how many times has cher been married? It's a short answer with a lot of long, complicated stories behind it.
Honestly, if you look at the tabloids from the 70s or 80s, you’d think she had a rotating door at the wedding chapel. The reality is actually way more grounded than the rumors suggest. Cher has been married exactly twice. That’s it. Only two men have ever officially held the title of "Mr. Cher," though her list of boyfriends and high-profile flings—from Tom Cruise to Val Kilmer—is enough to fill a whole separate book.
Sonny Bono: The Partnership That Defined an Era
You can’t talk about Cher without talking about Sonny. It’s impossible.
When they met in a Los Angeles coffee shop in 1962, Cher was only 16. Sonny was 27, recently separated, and working for the legendary (and notoriously difficult) producer Phil Spector. It wasn’t exactly a fairy tale start. Cher actually moved in with him originally just to be his housekeeper because she had nowhere else to go. She’s joked about it before—basically saying he wasn't even attracted to her at first.
They did a "mock" wedding in 1964. They exchanged rings in a private hotel room in Tijuana, which sounds super romantic in a gritty, 60s sort of way, but it wasn't legally binding. The actual, legal marriage didn’t happen until 1969, after their child, Chaz Bono, was born.
By then, they were global superstars. The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour was a massive hit. They were the "it" couple, wearing those iconic bell-bottoms and fur vests. But behind the scenes, things were getting heavy. Sonny was controlling. He handled the money, the contracts, and the creative direction. Cher has been very open in later years about how she felt like a "golden goose" rather than a partner.
The divorce was messy. It was public. It was the kind of thing that could have ended her career. Instead, it was the beginning of her becoming the solo powerhouse we know today. They officially split in 1975, but the bond—and the baggage—stayed with her forever. When Sonny died in a skiing accident in 1998, Cher’s eulogy for him was one of the most raw, heartbreaking moments in televised history. She called him "the most unforgettable character" she’d ever met.
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The Whirlwind of Gregg Allman
If the marriage to Sonny was a slow burn that lasted over a decade, her second marriage was a literal wildfire.
Just three days—seriously, three days—after her divorce from Sonny was finalized in June 1975, Cher married Gregg Allman. Yes, that Gregg Allman. The Southern rock legend from The Allman Brothers Band.
It was a total "what were they thinking?" moment for the public. They flew to Las Vegas on a private jet. It was impulsive. It was rock and roll. And it was almost immediately a disaster.
Cher filed for divorce nine days later.
Nine days!
She cited his drug and alcohol problems as the primary reason, realizing almost instantly that she couldn't handle the chaos of his lifestyle while trying to raise Chaz and manage her own career. But here’s the kicker: they actually reconciled. They didn’t go through with that first quickie divorce. They stayed together, recorded a widely panned duet album called Two the Hard Way (under the name "Allman and Woman"), and had a son together, Elijah Blue Allman.
They finally called it quits for good in 1979. Gregg was a different kind of love for her—passionate but volatile. While she’s looked back on that time with a bit of a "lesson learned" attitude, she’s never been bitter about it. She just realized she couldn't save him from himself.
Why People Get the Number Wrong
So, why is there so much confusion about how many times has cher been married?
It's mostly because Cher doesn't do "quiet." Since 1979, she’s had several incredibly famous relationships that felt like marriages to the public. When you’re as famous as Cher, a long-term boyfriend is basically a husband in the eyes of People magazine.
- Gene Simmons: She dated the KISS bassist for years in the late 70s.
- Rob Camilletti: This was a big one. He was a 22-year-old bagel baker (the "Bagel Boy") when she was 40. They were together for three years and it was a massive media circus.
- Alexander "A.E." Edwards: More recently, she’s been linked to the music executive who is significantly younger than her. The diamond ring he gave her sparked massive engagement rumors, but as far as public records go, no bells have rung.
She also had high-profile romances with David Geffen, Richie Sambora, and even a brief thing with Tom Cruise before he was the Tom Cruise. Because she’s so transparent about her life, people assume she’s walked down the aisle more often than she actually has.
The Takeaway on Cher's Legacy
Cher’s marital history is a reflection of her personality: she’s bold, she’s impulsive, and she’s fiercely independent. She didn't stay in her marriages because she "had to." She left when they no longer served her or her well-being. That was a radical act for a woman in the 70s.
To recap the stats for those keeping score:
- Sonny Bono (1964/1969–1975)
- Gregg Allman (1975–1979)
Two husbands. Two sons. A lifetime of reinvention.
If you’re looking to apply "The Cher Method" to your own life, it’s not about the number of partners you have. It’s about the refusal to be defined by them. She proved that a woman could be part of a famous duo and still come out the other side as a singular icon.
What to Keep in Mind
When looking at celebrity history, always distinguish between a "legal marriage" and a "tabloid headline." Many sites will list her boyfriends as "partners," which confuses the search results. If you are researching Cher for a project or just out of curiosity, stick to the 1975 and 1979 filing dates for accuracy.
Check out her memoir, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, which dropped recently. It goes into much more granular detail about the Sonny years than any Wikipedia page ever could. It’s worth the read if you want to understand the power dynamics of her early career and why that first marriage shaped everything that came after.
Stop wondering about the "next" marriage. Cher has famously said, "A man is not a necessity, a man is a luxury. Like dessert." She’s been enjoying dessert for decades, but she’s never felt the need to buy the whole bakery again.