Everyone Cher Dated: The Singer’s Sometimes Older, Often Younger Loves

Everyone knows Cher. Whether it’s because of her hit songs or her acting career, the singer has certainly become one of America's sweethearts. But what you may not know is the ins and outs of who she has dated through the years. With part 1 of her memoir coming out earlier this year, it felt like a great time to put together a comprehensive list of the high-profile men Cher has been romantically linked to, including Sonny Bono, Warren Beatty and even Tom Cruise. Keep reading for more. 

Warren Beatty: a teenage romance with a Hollywood heartthrob

At just 16 years old, Cher began dating the beloved Warren Beatty, who was 25 at the time. The two met in 1962 after she was cut off in her car by the actor while driving on Sunset Boulevard and went out to confront him. 

Despite their frisky meeting though, Cher found herself completely charmed by him and soon followed Bayli to his house where they would swim in his pool and eventually kiss. She then went home later that night, feeling over the moon. 

At Cher's mother's request, the pair then began to date, with the singer writing, “I went out with him because my mom and my best friend loved him. So, for me, it was kind of fascinating. But it wasn't like, 'Oh, this is so amazing' and 'I can't believe it' or whatever. It was just, 'This is a guy who's really interesting and very handsome and charming,' and that was kind of it."

The details of how and when Cher and Beatty broke up remain unknown, but the former went on to marry his wife, Annette Bening, in 1992 and now has four children with her. Beatty is 87 years old. 

Sonny Bono: from ‘it couple’ to toxic marriage  

Cher and Sonny Bono were the epitome of an “it couple” during the 1960s and 1970s. The pair met at a party in 1962 and became roommates for a while before tying the knot in 1964.

From there, they went on to have a child together, Chaz Bono who was born Chastity or “Chas”, and did various comedy and musical specials together. And while everything looked romantic and fun on the screen, Cher details just how dark things got in her memoir.  

“I saw how easy it would be to step over the edge and simply disappear,” she wrote. “For a few crazy minutes, I couldn’t imagine any other option. I did this five or six times and each time, I’d think about Chas, about my mother, about my sister, about everybody, and how things like this could make people who look up to me feel that it’s a viable situation and I would step back inside.”

“The confusing thing was that, although I was deeply unhappy, I still loved Sonny, but I was no longer in love with him,” Cher continued. “We were an amazing team on TV but at home, things were falling apart. He didn’t notice me anymore, so he didn’t see it.”

The two eventually divorced in 1975 but continued to co-parent their son, Chaz. 

David Geffen: the loving boyfriend who helped her leave her marriage 

While she was still married to Bono, Cher began dating David Geffen, an entertainment executive who reportedly helped the singer remove herself from her toxic marriage. 

According to Cher, Geffen was "a genius in business" and "the most loving boyfriend I'd ever had."

The two split two years later, after which Geffen came out as gay. He is now married to former dancer Donovan Michaels. 

Gregg Allman: a marriage marred by addiction 

Three days after officially divorcing Bono, Cher married the musician Gregg Allman. Nine days later, though, Cher filed for divorce, stating that Allman’s drug and alcohol addiction was too much for her. 

"It was really intense, but it's hard to have a marriage with someone who's doing drugs," the singer wrote in her memoir. “Drugs and I were just never meant to be together. I thought it was stupid and still do. I saw too many people where it ruined their lives. It ruined Gregory's life."

Desperate to get her back, though, Allman checked himself into rehab, and upon his return, he and Cher worked things out and even went on to have a child together name Elijah Blue Allman. Sadly, it wasn't enough, and the two split up once again before officially divorcing in 1979. 

Gene Simmons: a rockstar romance that ended with Diana Ross

From 1977 until 1979, Cher dated KISS member Gene Simmons, who apparently was head over heels in love with her after just one date. 

“He blurted out that he loved me," Cher wrote. "We hadn’t even kissed. We’d only been out once before he left. What is it with these men?"

In the end, love wasn’t enough to keep the two together, and Simmons ended up leaving Cher for Diana Ross, who he had been friends with for quite some time. They split after two years, though.

Val Kilmer: The ‘Top Gun’ star who stole Cher’s heart

Everyone loved Val Kilmer in Top Gun, but maybe not as much as Cher, who dated him in the early 1980s when she was in her late 30s and he was in his early 20s. Apparently, Kilmer was quite the playboy, though, which caused several riffs in his relationship with Cher. 

“Look, I was madly in love with Val Kilmer, and he left," the singer wrote. "Why would he leave? He's having fabulous sex with one of the most beautiful women in the world. What the f---'s the problem with that?"

Kilmer and Cher split pretty soon after getting together, although the official dates of their tryst remain unknown. 

Josh Donen: a short but serious relationship 

Josh Donen was a movie producer that Cher fell madly in love with in 1986 and even lived withfor a little while. But like some of her other relationships, this one was short-lived and ended pretty quickly after it began. 

In 1987, Cher said that Donen had been her “most serious relationship since being married."

"I still really love Joshua, and I see him all the time. I just didn't want to be with him anymore as a girlfriend."

Tom Cruise: a surprising connection over dyslexia 

It seems like Cher has a thing for fictional pilots because, in the late 1980s, she and Tom Cruise dated after bonding over their dyslexia. 

"A bunch of people who were dyslexic were invited to the White House, and Tom and I are both dyslexic," she said in 2018. "We didn't go out till way later, but there definitely was a connection there."

The couple’s schedules were too busy despite that connection, so they eventually split up, but they have run into each other at various events and award shows since. 

Rob Camilletti: the younger man who became one of Cher’s great loves

In 1986, Cher began dating Rob Camilletti, who was 18 years younger than her. Rob Camilletti, often referred to as "Bagel Boy" due to his job as a bagel baker when he first met Cher, was an aspiring actor during their relationship.

They quickly fell in love, and Camilletti even accompanied Cher to the 1988 Oscars, where she won an award for her work in the hit film Moonstruck. 

Given both this and their age difference, all eyes were on the couple, which they didn't love and eventually split up in 1989. 

To this day, Cher still says that she thinks Camilletti was one of the loves of her life. 

Richie Sambora: a low-key romance with the Bon Jovi guitarist

Following her split from Camilletti, Cher decided to date guitarist and Bon Jovi member Richie Sambora, who she met while working on her eponymous 1987 album, Cher. 

Unlike her past relationships, Cher decided to keep this one lowkey, and because of that, many details surrounding the couple remain a mystery. 

Sambora did comment briefly on the relationship in 1992, saying, “Basically, what happened was both of us [were] so busy, me being in Bon Jovi … and Cher doing her movies, and doing her tours, and her stuff … we found it hard to come together.” 

Ron Zimmerman: the eccentric screenwriter who made Cher laugh

The late 1990s and early 2000s were kind of a dry spell for Cher, seeing as she took an almost 20-year break from publicly dating anyone. But that all changed when she met a screenwriter named Ron Zimmerman in 2010. 

"Ron is short, a bit scraggly, like an absentminded professor. He's the funniest person I have ever met, and the most eccentric—so bizarre and kind and very special,” The singer said in November 2010. 

They split in 2012. Besides that, not much is known about the couple, and their reason for splitting up is still locked up in a vault somewhere. 

Alexander Edwards: Cher’s current beau defying age expectations

Most recently, Cher has been dating Alexander "AE" Edward, a music producer who is 40 years younger than she is. They two met in 2022 at Paris Fashion Week and their age gap is the subject of much discussion online. 

"On paper, it's kind of ridiculous," the singer said in 2022. "But in real life, we get along great. He's fabulous. And I don't give men qualities that they don't deserve."

Cher and Edwards are still going strong and are often seen walking various red carpets together and posting about each other on social media. 

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