Cherilyn Sarkisian, later known as Cher, is born in El Centro, California.
Cherilyn Sarkisian was born on May 20, 1946, in El Centro, California, to Georgia Holt, an aspiring actress and model, and John Sarkisian, a truck driver of Armenian descent. Her childhood was marked by financial instability and frequent moves as her mother pursued various relationships and jobs, and Cher struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia throughout her schooling.
Despite these early hardships, Cher displayed a fierce ambition from a young age, dreaming of stardom after being captivated by movies as a child. At sixteen, she left home and began pursuing an entertainment career in Los Angeles, eventually meeting record producer and performer Sonny Bono, who would become both her professional partner and husband.
Her birth marks the beginning of a life that would come to define multiple eras of American entertainment. Over the following decades, Cher would become one of the most recognizable and enduring performers in music, film, and television, ultimately being dubbed the "Goddess of Pop" for her unparalleled career longevity and reinvention across genres and generations.