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In her newly released memoir, "Cher: The Memoir, Part One," music and movie legend Cher shares a surprising discovery about her name. While legally changing her name in 1979 to her now-famous mononym, Cher was shocked to find that her birth certificate listed her first name as Cheryl instead of Cherilyn, the name she had believed was hers.
The mix-up dates back to her birth in 1946 when her teenage mother, Georgia Holt, exhausted after labor, inadvertently miscommunicated the name to a nurse. Inspired by actress Lana Turner's daughter Cheryl and her mother's name Lynda, Holt had intended her baby's name to be Cherilyn.
Cher recounts a humorous exchange with her mother upon discovering the error years later. When asked if she knew her real name, Holt quipped, "I was only a teenager, and I was in a lot of pain. Give me a break."
The memoir also revisits Cher's decision to simplify her name legally in 1979 by dropping her first name's longer form and four last names tied to her father, stepfather, and ex-husbands.
Released on November 19, 'Cher: The Memoir, Part One' offers fans a deeper glimpse into the star's remarkable life, from her rise to fame to personal revelations like this one, blending humor and reflection.
