Cher and Sonny Bono divorced after 10 years, 8 months of marriage. The settlement was reportedly about $2M. Settlement details, timeline and prenup facts.
Figures are reported estimates. Last updated Oct 2026.
Cher alleged Sonny kept her in 'involuntary servitude' during their marriage.
Cher and Sonny Bono formed one of the most famous duos in American music in the 1960s and 1970s. They met in 1962, when Cher was 16 and Sonny was 27 and working as an assistant to the record producer Phil Spector. They married on 27 October 1964, although they had been together for some time. They had a daughter, Chastity, born in 1969, who later became an activist and author. Their act, Sonny and Cher, produced the hit I Got You Babe in 1965.
The couple's wealth came from their recording career and then from television. After the hit single I Got You Babe, they had a series of successful albums, and in 1971 they began a CBS variety show, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, which became a hit. The show made them wealthy, and they earned large sums from live performances in Las Vegas. Much of the wealth was owned jointly, and Sonny managed the business.
The couple married in 1964 and had their daughter in 1969. They separated in 1974, and their marriage was ended in a divorce that was finalized in June 1975, after almost 11 years. Cher then married the musician Gregg Allman a few days later, although that marriage lasted only a few years. Sonny later became a politician, serving as mayor of Palm Springs and as a member of the US House of Representatives, and died in 1998.
The divorce settlement was reported to be modest by modern standards, and the figure of about $2 million is an estimate. A significant issue in the divorce was Cher's claim that she had not been fully informed about the business affairs, and in the course of the proceedings it emerged that her contract with Sonny gave him control of much of their finances. She received a settlement that gave her a share of the assets and the freedom to continue her own career.
The case is notable because Cher's contract with Sonny and his company limited her rights, and the divorce court revisited this arrangement. She was reported to have been left with little cash, since her earnings had been paid into companies controlled by her husband. The settlement was an attempt to restore a balance, and also to resolve the question of her future earnings.
Cher built a very successful solo career after the divorce. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Moonstruck in 1988, and recorded hits such as Believe in 1998, which became one of the best-selling singles of the year. Sonny moved into restaurants and politics. Cher said later that she had to start again financially.
The Cher and Sonny case is one of the oldest on this list, and it shows how the experience of a high-profile couple in the 1970s differed from the modern era. In comparison with the divorces of the stars of the 1990s, it was modest in money terms. It is remembered as an early example of a woman asserting her independence after a business marriage.
Cher and Sonny continued to appear on television together after their divorce, in The Sonny and Cher Show, in 1976. Their daughter Chastity became a writer and activist and is now known as Chaz Bono. Sonny Bono died in a skiing accident in 1998. The $2 million figure is an estimate.
Sonny Bono's reported settlement was about $2 million.
They married in 1964 and divorced in 1975, a marriage of roughly 11 years.
No prenuptial agreement was reported.
Yes, the family is reported to include 1 children.
Reported assets include: Cash, music royalties, entertainment holdings.
The case is notable because Cher's contract with Sonny and his company limited her rights, and the divorce court revisited this arrangement. She was reported to have been left with little cash, since her earnings had been paid into companies controlled by her husband.