Cherilyn Sarkisian (born 20 May 1946) was an American singer, actress, and activist. She was born in El Centro, California, and she dropped out of school at the age of 16, moved to Los Angeles with a friend, and became the housekeeper of performer Sonny Bono. Bono later introduced her to Phil Spector, and she worked as a backup singer for years, going on to become a close friend and lover of Bono. In 1965, they formed "Sonny & Cher", a folk rock duo, and their song "I Got You" reached number one on the American and British charts, surpassing The Beatles. During the 1970s, they became television personalities with The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, and she later hosted Cher after divorcing Bono in 1975. During the 1980s, she became an actress of both film and stage, and she revived her musical career in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1998, her single "Believe" became the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist in the UK; she also pioneered Auto-Tune.
Cher became known as a Democratic activist, as she was an outspoken opponent of conservatism, Republican politicians like Sarah Palin and Jan Brewer, President George W. Bush (saying that minorities in the country needed to prevent the "stupid" and "lazy" Bush from taking away their rights), and the Iraq War. She supported Hillary Clinton during the 2008 presidential election and Barack Obama during the 2012 presidential election, and she criticized Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election.