Cher
Who was Sonny Bono 's spouse from Oct 1964 to Jun 1975?
Sonny Bono Salvatore Phillip Sonny Bono ( ; February 16 , 1935 – January 5 , 1998 ) was an American singer-songwriter , producer , actor , and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher . He was mayor of Palm Springs , California , from 1988 to 1992 , and the Republican congressman for Californias 44th district , elected during the Republican Revolution and serving from 1995 until his death in 1998 . The United States Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 , which extended the term of copyright by 20 years , was named in honor of Bono when it was passed by Congress nine months after his death . Mary Bono ( Sonnys last wife ) had been one of the original sponsors of the legislation , commonly known as the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act . Early life . Bono was born in Detroit to Santo Bono ( born in Montelepre , Palermo , Italy ) and Zena Jean Bono ( née DiMercurio ) . His mother called him Sono as a term of endearment , which evolved over time into Sonny . Sonny was the youngest of three siblings ; he had two sisters , Fran and Betty . The family moved to Inglewood , California , when he was seven , and his parents divorced soon afterwards . Bono decided early in life to become part of the music business , and began writing songs as a teenager . Koko Joe , a song he wrote at age 16 , was recorded by Don and Dewey in 1958 , and later covered by several other artists including The Righteous Brothers . Bono attended Inglewood High School , but did not graduate , opting to drop out so he could begin to pursue a career as a songwriter and performer . He worked at a variety of jobs while trying to break into the music business , including waiter , truck driver , construction laborer , and butchers helper . Career . Entertainment career . Bono began his music career as a songwriter at Specialty Records , where his song Things You Do to Me was recorded by Sam Cooke , and went on to work for record producer Phil Spector in the early 1960s as a promotion man , percussionist and gofer . One of his earliest songwriting efforts , Needles and Pins was co-written with Jack Nitzsche , another member of Spectors production team . Later in the same decade , he achieved commercial success with his wife Cher in the singing duo Sonny and Cher . Bono wrote , arranged and produced a number of hit records including the singles I Got You Babe and The Beat Goes On , although Cher received more attention as a performer . He played a major part in Chers solo recording career , writing and producing singles including Bang Bang and You Better Sit Down Kids . Bono co-wrote She Said Yeah , covered by The Rolling Stones on their 1965 LP Decembers Children . His lone hit single as a solo artist , Laugh at Me , was released in 1965 and peaked at No . 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 . In live concerts , Bono introduced the song by saying Id like to sing a medley of my hit . His only other single as a solo artist , The Revolution Kind , reached No . 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 later that year . His solo album , Inner Views , was released in 1967 . Sonny continued to work with Cher through the early and mid-1970s , starring in a popular television variety show , The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour , which ran on CBS from 1971 to 1974 . From 1976 to 1977 , the duo , since divorced , returned to perform together on The Sonny and Cher Show . Their last appearance together was on Late Night with David Letterman on November 13 , 1987 , on which they sang I Got You Babe . In 2011 , Sonny Bono was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame . Film and television . Bonos acting career included bit parts as a guest performer in such television series as Fantasy Island , Charlies Angels , The Love Boat , The Six Million Dollar Man and CHiPs . In the 1975 TV movie Murder on Flight 502 , he played the role of rock star Jack Marshall . He appeared in the 1980 miniseries Top of the Hill . He played the role of mad bomber Joe Selucci in ( 1982 ) and appeared in the horror film Troll ( 1986 ) . He also portrayed racist entrepreneur Franklin von Tussle in the John Waters film Hairspray ( 1988 ) . In Men in Black ( 1997 ) , Bono is one of several oddball celebrities seen on a wall of video screens that monitor extraterrestrials living among us . He also appeared as the Mayor of Palm Springs ( which he actually was at the time ) in several episodes of P.S . I Luv U during the 1991–92 TV season , and on ( in season 1 , episode 9 , which aired November 21 , 1993 ) , in which he played Mayor Frank Berkowitz . He also made a minor appearance as himself in the comedy film First Kid ( 1996 ) . Bono guest-starred as himself on The Golden Girls episode Mrs . George Devereaux ( originally broadcast November 17 , 1990 ) , in which he vied with Lyle Waggoner for Dorothys ( Bea Arthur ) affection in a dream sequence . In Blanches ( Rue McClanahan ) dream , her husband is still alive , and Bono uses his power as Mayor of Palm Springs to have Waggoner falsely arrested so he can have Dorothy to himself . Sophia ( Estelle Getty ) had been hoping for Sonny and Dorothy to get together and actively supported Sonny . The picture of Bono was seen briefly in the Silly Songs segment , Love My Lips , in the VeggieTales video Dave and the Giant Pickle ( released in 1996 ) until it was removed in the 1998 re-issue after his death . Political career . Bono entered politics after experiencing great frustration with local government bureaucracy in trying to open a restaurant in Palm Springs , California . Bono made a successful bid to become the new mayor of Palm Springs . He served four years , from 1988 to 1992 . He was instrumental in spearheading the creation of the Palm Springs International Film Festival , which is held each year in Bonos memory . Bono ran for the Republican nomination for United States Senate in 1992 , but the nomination went to the more conservative Bruce Herschensohn , and the election to the Democrat Barbara Boxer . Bono and Herschensohn became close friends after the campaign . Bono was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994 to represent Californias 44th congressional district . He was one of twelve co-sponsors of a House bill extending copyright . Although that bill was never voted on in the Senate , a similar Senate bill was passed after his death and named the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act in his memory . It is also known ( derisively ) as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act . He championed the restoration of the Salton Sea , bringing the giant lakes plight to national attention . In 1998 , then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich made a public appearance and speech at the shore of the lake on Bonos behalf . In their book Tell Newt to Shut Up , David Maraniss and Michael Weisskopf credit Bono with being the first person to recognize Gingrichs public relations problems in 1995 . Drawing on his long experience as a celebrity and entertainment producer , Bono ( according to Maraniss and Weisskopf ) recognized that Gingrichs status had changed from politician to celebrity and that he was not making allowances for that change : Bono remains the only member of Congress to have scored a number-one pop single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart . Personal life . Marriages . Bono was married four times . He married his first wife , Donna Rankin , on November 3 , 1954 . Their daughter Christine ( Christy ) was born on June 24 , 1958 . They divorced in 1962 . In 1964 , Bono married singer and actress Cher . They had one child , Chaz Bono , born March 4 , 1969 , and divorced in 1975 . Bono married actress-model Susie Coelho on New Years Eve 1981 ; they divorced in 1984 . He wed Mary Whitaker in 1986 and they had two children , son Chesare Elan in 1988 and daughter Chianna Maria in 1991 . Godparent . Bono was named a godparent of Anthony Kiedis , who became a musical artist with his band , Red Hot Chili Peppers . Sonny was a close friend of Kiediss father , Blackie Dammett , and often took the boy on weekend trips . Salton Sea . Bono was a champion of the Salton Sea in southeastern California , where a park was named in his honor . The 2005 documentary film Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea ( narrated by John Waters ) features Bono and documented the lives of the inhabitants of Bombay Beach , Niland and Salton City , as well as the ecological issues associated with the Sea . Religion . He became interested in Scientology and took Scientology courses partly because of the influence of Mimi Rogers , but stated that he was a Roman Catholic on all official documents , campaign materials and websites . His wife Mary also took Scientology courses . However , after his death , Mary Bono stated that Sonny did try to break away [ from the Church of Scientology ] at one point , and they made it very difficult for him . The Church of Scientology said there was no estrangement from Bono . Death . Bono died on January 5 , 1998 , of injuries incurred when he hit a tree while skiing at Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe , California . After Bonos death , Mary Bono said that Sonny had been addicted to prescription drugs ( mainly Vicodin and Valium ) and that she believed her husbands drug use caused the accident . No drugs or alcohol were found in his body . At Marys request , Cher gave a eulogy at Sonnys funeral . He was buried at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City , California . The epitaph on Bonos headstone reads AND THE BEAT GOES ON . Mary Bono was elected to fill the remainder of her husbands congressional term . She was elected in her own right seven subsequent times before being defeated in the election of 2012 . Honors and tributes . Sonny Bono has been honored and memorialized with : - A Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars : dedicated to him in 1996 . - Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act : Extended copyright protections effective October 27 , 1998 . - Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge : a nature reserve on the Salton Sea was renamed in Bonos honor in 1998 . - Sonny Bono Memorial Park , a small park in Washington , D.C. , was named in his honor in 1998 . - Sonny Bono Memorial Interchange : an interchange on California State Route 60 at Nason Street in Moreno Valley , California , was named for Bono in September 2000 . - Sony Bono Memorial Freeway : a 40-mile stretch of Interstate Highway 10 near Palm Springs was dedicated January 10 , 2002 . - Sonny Bono Concourse : a concourse at Palm Springs International Airport dedicated October 22 , 2002 . - Sonny Bono Memorial Fountain and Statue : Located in downtown Palm Springs , California , the statue was dedicated in November 2002 .