Cher ‘Stunned’ to Learn Her Legal Name While Applying for a Change.
In her captivating new book, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, the legendary Oscar and Grammy winner unveils a surprising revelation from her storied life. While attempting to legally change her name in 1979, Cher discovered something unexpected: her birth certificate listed her first name as Cheryl—a detail that clashed with what she had always believed about her identity. This unexpected twist is just one of many moments that make Cher’s memoir a fascinating dive into the life of an icon.
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“I thought my name was Cherilyn until years later when I decided to officially change it to just Cher,” the “Moonstruck” actress writes in her memoir. She elaborates on how her late mother, Georgia Holt, who was just 19 when she gave birth to Cher in 1946, was too tired after labor to notice the error. When a nurse entered the room to ask for the baby’s name, Cher recalls her mother saying she “had no idea,” but when pressed, she replied, “Well, Lana Turner’s my favorite actress, and her daughter is named Cheryl.
My mother’s name is Lynda, so how about Cherilyn?” After this surprising revelation, Cher confronted her mother, asking, “Do you even know my real name, Mom?” According to the memoir, Holt responded, “I was just a teenager and in a lot of pain. Cut me some slack.” In 1979, Cher officially changed her name to her iconic single name, dropping her first name to Cher and letting go of her four last names: her father’s surname Sarkisian, her stepfather Gilbert Hartmann LaPiere’s last name, and the last names of her two ex-husbands, Sonny Bono and Gregg Allman. “Cher: The Memoir, Part One” was released on November 19 and is now available.
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