Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (/ˈboʊnoʊ/ BOH-noh; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, songwriter, actor, and politician.

[6] "Koko Joe", a song he wrote at age 16, was recorded by Don and Dewey in 1958, and later covered by several other artists including The Righteous Brothers.

[7] Bono attended Inglewood High School, but did not graduate, opting to drop out so he could begin to pursue a career as a songwriter and performer.

[3][8] He worked at a variety of jobs while trying to break into the music business, including waiter, truck driver, construction laborer, and butcher's helper.

One of his earliest songwriting efforts, "Needles and Pins" was co-written with Jack Nitzsche, another member of Spector's production team.

Bono wrote, arranged and produced a number of hit records including the singles "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On", although Cher received more attention as a performer.

Around the time that The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour was in development, Bono grew his now famous mustache, he would continue to wear it for the rest of his life.

(appearing with Cher in "The Hot Number Affair"), Fantasy Island, Charlie's Angels, The Love Boat, The Six Million Dollar Man and CHiPs.

He played the role of mad bomber Joe Selucci in Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) and appeared in the horror film Troll (1986).

A portrait of Bono also appeared in the VeggieTales episode "Dave and the Giant Pickle"; in the Silly Songs with Larry segment I Love My Lips (original version).

Bono guest-starred as himself on The Golden Girls episode "Mrs. George Devereaux" (originally broadcast November 17, 1990), in which he vied with Lyle Waggoner for Dorothy's (Bea Arthur) affection in a dream sequence.

In Blanche's (Rue McClanahan) dream, her husband is still alive, and Bono uses his power as Mayor of Palm Springs to have Waggoner falsely arrested so he can have Dorothy to himself.

Bono entered politics after experiencing frustration with local government bureaucracy while trying to open a restaurant in Palm Springs, California.

[16] As mayor, Bono spearheaded the creation of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, which is held each year in his memory.

In 1998, then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich made a public appearance and speech at the shore of the lake on Bono's behalf.

In their book Tell Newt to Shut Up, David Maraniss and Michael Weisskopf credit Bono with being the first person to recognize Gingrich's public relations problems in 1995.

You need to understand the attitude of the media toward celebrities.Bono remains the only member of Congress to have scored a number-one pop single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

[27][28] However, after his death, Mary Bono stated that "Sonny did try to break away [from the Church of Scientology] at one point, and they made it very difficult for him."

[29] Bono died on January 5, 1998, of injuries incurred when he hit a tree while skiing at Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, California.