Dubbed the "Goddess of Pop", she is known for her androgynous contralto voice, multifaceted career and bold visual presentation, while cultivating a screen persona that mirrors her public image by often portraying strong-willed, independent and outspoken women.

In the 1970s, she divorced from Sonny Bono and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady", becoming the female solo artist with the most number-one singles in US history at the time.

[8] While living in Los Angeles, Holt pursued acting while working as a waitress, occasionally securing minor television roles for her daughters in shows such as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

[31]"I Got You Babe" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[32] and became, according to AllMusic's Bruce Eder, "one of the biggest-selling and most beloved pop/rock hits of the mid-'60s";[19] Rolling Stone listed it among "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2003.

[33] As the song knocked the Beatles off the top of the British charts, English teenagers began to emulate Sonny and Cher's fashion style, such as bell-bottoms, striped pants and fur vests.

[39] Author Joseph Murrells described Sonny and Cher as "leading exponents of the rock-folk-message type of song", blending rock instrumentation with folk themes and protest lyrics.

"[57] Cher honed her acting skills through comedy sketches,[58] including her original character Laverne, a brash and over-the-top housewife,[59] while her Bob Mackie-designed outfits set 1970s fashion trends.

"[84] Despite Cher's efforts to expand her musical range by drawing inspiration from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Elton John, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, the resulting album, Stars, was commercially and critically unsuccessful.

[98] Orange Coast magazine's Keith Tuber commented that Cher's weekly TV shows may have hurt her record sales, as audiences could see and hear her without needing to buy her music.

Temporarily setting aside her desire to be a rock singer, she signed with Casablanca Records and launched a comeback with the single "Take Me Home" and the album of the same name, both of which capitalized on the disco craze.

In George Miller's comedy horror The Witches of Eastwick, she was one of three small-town divorcees, alongside Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon, who become involved with a mysterious and wealthy visitor (Jack Nicholson).

[149] She had romantic relationships with actors Val Kilmer, Eric Stoltz and Tom Cruise, hockey player Ron Duguay, film producer Josh Donen, Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and Rob Camilletti, a bagel baker 18 years her junior whom she dated from 1986 to 1989.

[164] Critics praised its R&B influences and Cher's vocal growth,[177] with Stephen Holden of The New York Times calling it a "soulful collection of grown-up pop songs" and the highlight of her recording career.

[70][194] Entertainment Weekly described the album as "the most dramatic comeback Hollywood has seen since ... the last time Cher raised her career from the dead", emphasizing its role in introducing her to a new generation of fans who "hadn't yet been born when 'I Got You Babe' ruled the charts in 1965.

[210] Cher starred in Franco Zeffirelli's critically acclaimed war film Tea with Mussolini (1999),[214] earning praise for her portrayal of a flamboyant American socialite unwelcome among Englishwomen in Italy.

[225] Jon Pareles of The New York Times praised it as a celebration of Cher's resilience, highlighting her ability to "triumph over restraint, aging and gravity" and calling her "a hit machine immune to sagging flesh".

[38] The Boston Globe's Michael Andor Brodeur commented that "Cher's 'Goddess of Pop' sash remains in little danger of undue snatching; at 67, she sounds more convincing than J-Lo or Madonna reporting from 'the club'".

[264] Dancing Queen received widespread critical acclaim; Rolling Stone commented that Cher makes the ABBA songs sound as if they were written for her,[265] while Entertainment Weekly praised it as her "most significant release since 1998's Believe.

[272][273] On December 2, 2018, Cher received the Kennedy Center Honor in recognition of her "extraordinary contributions to culture",[274] with tribute performances of her songs by Adam Lambert, Cyndi Lauper and Little Big Town.

[313] Zaleski added that her vocal delivery feels like "a direct line to her soul",[296] while author Paul Simpson observed that "she spits out the words ... with such conviction you'd think she was delivering an eternal truth about the human condition".

[336] Deemed "controversial" for her performance on the battleship USS Missouri, straddling a cannon,[152] and wearing a leather thong that revealed her tattooed buttocks,[153] the 1989 music video for "If I Could Turn Back Time" was the first ever to be banned by MTV.

"[346] She concluded that "Cher's Native American showgirl sexpot persona now seems to epitomize the fashion industry's rush to celebrate ethnicity, adornment and sex appeal.

Paddy Calistro of the Los Angeles Times wrote that during Cher's rise as a movie star in the 1980s, her "highly articulated bone structure captured audience attention", which led to an increased number of medical requests for "surgically inserted 'cheekbones'".

[363] According to Salon writer Thomas Rogers, drag queens emulate figures like Judy Garland, Dolly Parton and Cher because they "overcame insult and hardship on their path to success"—narratives that resonate with the challenges many gay men face when coming out.

[375] Cher has served as the Honorary National Chair of Habitat for Humanity's "Raise the Roof" fundraising initiative, aimed at supporting the construction and repair of affordable homes for families in need.

[373] In 2007, Cher became the primary supporter of the Peace Village School (PVS) in Ukunda, Kenya, which "provides nutritious food, medical care, education and extracurricular activities for more than 300 orphans and vulnerable children.

[378][379] In 2020, Free the Wild partnered with Four Paws International, prompting Cher to travel to Pakistan to advocate for and work with the country's government for the transfer of Kaavan, an elephant confined to a zoo for 35 years, to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia.

On October 27, 2003, Cher anonymously called a C-SPAN phone-in program to recount a visit she made to maimed soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and criticized the lack of media coverage and government attention given to injured servicemen.

[392] In September 2013, Cher declined an invitation to perform at the 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Russia due to the country's controversial anti-LGBTQ legislation that overshadowed preparations for the event.

"[427] According to Jeff Miers from The Buffalo News, "Her music has changed with the times over the decades, rather than changing those times through groundbreaking work"; however, he felt that subsequent female pop singers were heavily inspired by Cher's abilities to combine "showmanship with deep musicality ... to make valid statements in a wide variety of trend-driven idioms ... to ease effortlessly between pop subgenres [and] to shock without alienating her fans", as well as by her charismatic stage presence and the strong LGBTQ support among her fan base.