Pop star Cher has opened up about her split from Sonny Bono, her ex-husband.
Cher was told she was trapped in “involuntary servitude” to Sonny Bono amid their divorce.
The 78-year-old music star enjoyed huge success alongside Sonny – who died in January 1998, aged 62 – but record executive David Geffen, her then-boyfriend, pointed out that she was trapped in a one-sided employment contract.
In ‘Cher: The Memoir’, she recalls: “I told him I didn’t know [how I was paid] because I’d never read it. ‘It’s about time you did,’ he replied, and somehow he got his hands on the document, I’m not sure how.
“He called me up after reading it and said, ‘Sweetheart, this contract is involuntary servitude. You work for Sonny. You have no rights, no vote, no money, nothing. You’re an employee of something called ‘Cher Enterprises’ with a salary you were likely never paid and three weeks’ vacation per year. He owns 95 per cent of the company and the rest belongs to his lawyer, Irwin Spiegel.'”
Cher initially struggled to believe what she was being told.
The award-winning star – who was married to Sonny between 1964 and 1975 – said: “Then David started reading the contract to me, and sure enough, I couldn’t even sign a cheque or withdraw any money without Sonny or Irwin’s signature.
“I was an employee of Cher Enterprises with no ownership, so I couldn’t access any of the money I earned for the company.”
Cher also learned that she needed Sonny’s approval if she wanted to earn money.
The pop star explained: “I was signed to the company and could only work with Sonny’s permission. That meant not only did I have no money, I had no way to make any money unless Sonny signed off on it.”
Cher recalls being trapped in ‘involuntary servitude’ to Sonny Bono
