Singer Cher sued Mary Bono, the widow of her ex-husband Sonny Bono, because she is allegedly keeping the income derived from the copyright of the duo “Sonny & Cher.”
Cher and Sonny married in 1964 and started an artistic duo that achieved great commercial success during that decade, with songs like “The Beat Goes On” and “I Got You Babe”, until their divorce in 1975 dynamited the musical couple and they decided split all the royalties from their songs in half.
Later, Cher continued her career as an actress and singer while Sonny entered politics as a congressman for the Repulican Party for California and married Mary Bono, his fourth wife until she died in 1998 from a ski accident.
Now, Cher has filed a complaint in Los Angeles because she claims that her ex-partner’s widow has been withholding her income for years from the use of “Sonny & Cher” songs.
Sonny and Cher met when she was 16 years old. Shortly after they got married. Their relationship lasted until 1975. (Supplied)
“When they divorced, Plaintiff and Sonny agreed to an equitable division of their property in common and, to that end, in 1978 Sonny irrevocably assigned to Plaintiff, as sole proprietor worldwide and in perpetuity, fifty percent of their rights. ”Says the lawsuit.
The singer argues in her lawsuit that Mary has unilaterally broken her previous contract and agreements with the record companies, depriving Cher of her intellectual property rights.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Federal Court Wednesday afternoon, seeks $ 1 million in compensation for the damages.
Mary Bono, who inherited the seat from her husband and was California’s representative in the US Congress until 2013, has declined to comment on the conflict.
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