Cher Left 'Shattered' by Ex Sonny's Bitter Divorce Battle to Claim Full Custody of Their Son Chaz — and How it Was Sparked by Playboy Mansion Visit
Cher revealed she was left 'shattered' by her ex Sonny Bono's strategic play in their divorce proceedings.
Singer Cher was left "shattered" when Sonny Bono hit her with a shocking bid for full custody of their son, Chaz, amid their bitter and public divorce war.
Sonny branded Cher an "unfit mother" and changed his approach in their divorce after Cher took their son on what she described as "innocent" visits to the Playboy Mansion, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Cher opened up about her tumultuous divorce with Sonny in her new memoir.
In Cher's new memoir, the Believe hitmaker opened up about her unstable relationship with Sonny — who she was married to from 1964 to 1975.
The two welcomed a daughter together in 1969, Chastity — who has since transitioned to male and now goes by Chaz.
The singer said Sonny used her 'innocent' trips with their now-son Chaz to the Playboy Masnion against her.
In the tell-all, Cher detailed her frequent visits to Hugh Hefner at his iconic mansion, noting what a close relationship Chaz had built with the Playboy ringleader.
She wrote: "I had often been to the Playboy Mansion and my daughter Chastity, then five, had known and loved Hef her whole life.
"When she was born he had given her a life-sized lion which stood in a corner of her bedroom in what we called 'the big house' - the Bel-Air mansion which Sonny and I had bought from Tony Curtis."
Cher also said Hefner's house "was like heaven" for Chaz, referring to it as "a place where she could have ice cream served to her by a waiter in the Grotto".
While the singer said her visits to the mansion were always "entirely innocent", Sonny utilized them as a way to switch strategy in their divorce in an attempt to get full custody.
Cher wrote: "I was shattered when my husband Sonny changed tack in our divorce proceedings by applying for full custody of Chas and accusing me of being an unfit mother.
"His case hinged on the fact that, one afternoon, I'd taken Chas to Hef's to see his pet monkeys and play in his pool."
She admitted: "I never would have taken her there if something inappropriate was going on and the thought of losing custody of Chas filled me with anxiety."
In May 1974, the former couple were called to the Santa Monica courthouse to testify about the new twist in their divorce.
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The judge ruled in Cher's favor and even granted Sonny less time with Chaz — which Cher knew wouldn't be the case.
She wrote: "Shocked, Sonny asked me, 'Are you really going to stick to that?' to which I replied, 'Of course not, dummy. You can see her whenever you like.' The last thing I was going to do was keep our child from seeing her best friend."
Sonny and Cher welcomed their only child Chaz, born Chastity, in 1969.
Cher officially left Sonny in 1972, and after a few failed relationships and an engagement, she started seeing Gregory Allman. The two wed in June 1975, but Cher filed for divorce just nine days later amid his substance abuse issues.
She fell pregnant during their relationship, however, and gave birth to her second child, Elijah Blue Allman, on July 10, 1976.
During that time, Cher gave credit to her oldest child for enduring such a rocky set of events.
The hitmaker wrote: "I was so proud of Chas for surviving our divorce, my marriage to Gregory, my pregnancy, and the press through all of it.
"I knew it couldn't have been easy, and I also knew that, because of my punishing work schedule, I wasn't around as much as I wanted to help guide her through all that."
While Sonny was granted less time with Chaz during their divorce battle, Cher said she wouldn't follow the orders.
Cher has continuously supported her son throughout his acting career and personal transition, though she was reportedly snubbed an invite to his wedding to Shara Mathews earlier this year.
Sources told In Touch: "Chaz and Shara are removing Cher from the guest list entirely and don't feel too bad about it either. They want a simple ceremony with none of Cher's theatrics."
They added: "Cher has tried to be there for her kids, but neither wants anything to do with her. It's devastating."
Chaz transitioned to male in 2009 right after his 40th birthday, later documenting the process in his 2011 documentary Becoming Chaz.
Cher told a friend at the time: "I admire my son Chaz's courage for sharing his personal journey. Most important to me is that he is very happy. That's what I care about the most. He has my love and support."
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