March 1995 saw British charity Comic Relief ask Cher, Chrissie Hynde and Neneh Cherry - along with Eric Clapton on guitar - to perform their 1995 charity single, 'Love Can Build A Bridge'. It spent one week at #1 there. In April, Cher's daughter Chastity "came out" as a lesbian with LGBT magazine 'The Advocate'.
"When I found out that Chas was gay, I went ballistic! What added insult to injury was finding out that everyone else in the solar system knew but me!"
Cher recorded an album of covers titled 'It's A Man's World'. Lead single, October's 'Walking In Memphis' - a cover of Marc Cohn's self-penned 1991 hit - reached #11 in the UK. The album, released in November, reached #10 in the UK (and eventually went Gold) once its second single, January 1996's 'One By One', also became a top ten hit (#7).
In April, the album's third UK single, 'Not Enough Love In The World', reached #31. That same month, Cher starred in the Paul Mazursky-directed dark-comedy movie 'Faithful' alongside Ryan O'Neal and Chazz Palminteri - based on the latter actor's screenplay. Cher was unhappy with the final product and refused to promote it - resulting in a poor performance at the US Box Office, grossing just $2.1million.
June saw 'It's A Man's World' finally get its US release, though remixed with an R&B flavor. It stalled at #64. The remixed version of 'One By One' peaked at #52, but was played over the closing credits of September 1996 HBO television movie 'If These Walls Could Talk', which had three half-hour segments: one starring Demi Moore; one Sissy Spacek; and one Cher, as Dr. Beth Thompson. 50-year-old Cher, who directed her segment and wrote some of its script, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV at the Golden Globe Awards and Satellite Awards. It became the highest-rated movie in HBO history, grabbing 6.9 million viewers.
July saw the album's fourth UK single, a cover of ''The Walker Brothers' 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore', reach #26 in the UK. In December, 'Paradise Is Here' (a cover of Tina Turner's 1986 track) was released as the album's second-and-final US single - it failed to enter the US Hot 100.
Cher music played a large role in the November 1997 'The X-Files' episode 'The Post-Modern Prometheus', which concerned a deformed man who adored Cher because of her role in 'Mask'. The episode attracted 18.68 million viewers - the 11th most-watched programme of the week.
Cher received a telephone call from daughter Chastity in January 1998, telling her that Sonny had died. On January 5 1998, 62-year-old Sonny – now a successful politician - died of injuries from hitting a tree whilst skiing in Lake Tahoe. Cher was asked to give the eulogy at his funeral. Unbeknownst to her, it was to be broadcast live on television. Tearfully speaking, Cher said that Sonny was “The most unforgettable character I've ever met.”
"When you've known someone your entire life, you don't think of them being able to leave you. Even if you're angry with one another, or you move to Africa, or they join some religious cult, they're never just going to not be there. This is how I felt about Son."
In May, Sonny & Cher were honored with a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their television work. Cher also starred in CBS television special 'Sonny & Me: Cher Remembers', providing a look at their years together. The special was the 13th most-watched programme of the week, attracting 9.9 million viewers.
In November, Cher released her autobiography, 'The First Time'.
In October, Cher released a new single, the dance-pop 'Believe'. The song became Cher's best-selling single of all-time, selling a whopping 7 million copies. It topped the singles charts in over 20 countries including the US (4 weeks) and the UK (7 weeks). It remains the best-selling single by a female solo singer in the UK (1.7 million copies) and Cher remains the oldest solo female singer to top the singles chart on both sides of the Atlantic. The single gave her the US record of largest gap between US#1's (25 years) plus the longest span of #1's (34 years). It received nominations at the Grammy Awards for Record of The Year and Best Dance Recording - the latter it won, becoming Cher's first (and currently only) Grammy Award win. It also won a Billboard Music Award for Single of the Year. The song is notable for being the first hit single to use auto-tune - since nicknamed "the cher effect".
Her new album, also called 'Believe', was released in October too. Similarly, it became her best-selling album of all-time, selling over 10 million copies worldwide and gaining at least Gold status in 39 countries including 6-times-platinum status in Canada, 5-times-platinum in Denmark and 4-times-Platinum in Spain. It took her to a new solo high of #4 on the Billboard 200 in the US (where it was certified 4-times-platinum) plus topped the charts in Germany (where it sold a million copies) and reached #7 in the UK, where it was certified 2-times-Platinum. It received a nomination at the Grammy Awards for 'Best Pop Album'.
Cher began 1999 by performing 'The Star Spangled Banner' at that year's Super Bowl, which was watched by 83.7 million viewers. She won a World Music Award for Lifelong Contribution to the Music Industry and won an American Fashion Award for her Influence on Fashion.
February 1999 saw the release of Cher's next single, the disco-influenced 'Strong Enough'. It sold over a million copies worldwide and reached #5 in the UK but only reached #57 in the US - although (like predecessor 'Believe') it topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
The next month, Cher starred alongside British film icons Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in Franco Zeffirelli's semi-autobiographical movie 'Tea With Mussolini'. It received a so-so reception at the US Box Office, grossing $14 million.
April saw Cher appearing on the fund-raising VH-1 special 'Divas Live '99', which became the network's most-watched show ever with 9 million viewers. The show's DVD and CD releases were both certified Gold in the US.
June saw the release of dance-pop single 'All or Nothing', which was a moderate hit, reaching #12 in the UK and again, topping Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. Its single consisted of concert footage taken from Cher's new 'Do You Believe? Tour'. The 121-date tour took her to 1.5 million fans across North America and Europe to gross $160 million. Its August companion HBO special 'Cher: Live in concert - From the MGM Grand in Las Vegas' attracted 6 million viewers, becoming the network's highest-rated original programme of the year. It received seven Emmy Award nominations - including Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for Cher - and was turned into a successful DVD, 'Live In Concert'.
'If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher's Greatest Hits' was released in the US in August, where it reached only reached #57 but went to to score a million sales (and a Gold certification). October single - and the last from Cher's latest studio album - 'Dov'e L'amore' became another moderate hit, reaching #21 in the UK.
In November, 'The Greatest Hits' was released outside the US to great success. It went top ten in over a dozen countries, including the UK (#7) and became her second consecutive #1 album in Austria, Denmark and Germany.
Cher's 1994 self-written shelved album - that was rejected by her label for not being commercial - was released online in 2000, fittingly entitled, "Not.com.mercial". She won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Female Artist.
In November, she appeared as herself in episode of US comedy 'Will & Grace' entitled 'Gypsys, Tramps & Weeds' - it became the show's second-highest-rated episode, with 22 million viewers and was ranked #7 in Q Magazine's Top 10 Greatest Rock Star Cameos.
In 2001, Cher won a Bambi Lifetime Achievement Award in Germany. She co-wrote Duet 'Piu che puoi' with Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti for his mutli-million-selling album 'Stilelibero'. It was released as a single, becoming a top 20 hit in Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. A poll in A&E's Biography Magazine saw Cher rank #3 in reader's favourite actress of all-time.
In November 2001 - and now often sporting blond wigs - Cher released new single 'The Music's No Good Without You'. The auto-tune-laden dance number reached #8 in the UK - giving her UK top ten singles in five consecutive decades. Its parent album 'Living Proof' was also released that month. It surprisingly stalled at #46 in the UK but reached #9 in the US when released in February 2002. The US's lead single from the album was the 9/11-dedicated 'Song For The Lonely', which peaked at #85, and #18 in Canada. It reached #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart.
In May, Cher returned to 'Will & Grace', in hour-long episode 'A.I.: Artificial Insemination', which attracted 23.7 viewers. The next month, she returned to VH1's 'Diva' series, in 'Divas Las Vegas' and its accompanying CD and DVD releases. July's 'A Different Kind of Love Song' became Cher's fifth Billboard Dance Club Songs chart #1. Meanwhile, 'Alive Again' became a top 30 hit in Germany .
She was named Dance Club Songs Artist of the Year at the 2002 Billboard Music Awards, where she also received an Artist Achievement Award - one of only four artists to do so.
In June, she kicked off her mammoth 326-date 'The Farewell Tour'. On it, Cher performed her greatest hits to over 5.88 million fans in 20 countries whilst grossing a whopping $250 million. It finished as the top-grossing tour ever by a female artist. A television special of it was broadcast on NBC, where it was watched by 17 million viewers - easily making it the #1 concert special of the 2002/03 TV season. For it, Cher was given her first Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy special. A DVD of it was then released in August, which has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide and has triple-platinum status in the US and 8-times-platinum in Australia.
February 2003 saw the release of double A-side single 'A Different Kind of Love Song' / 'Love On Another'. The former song became Cher's 6th #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart and the latter received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Dance Recording.
'The Very Best of Cher' was released in April 2003 and became a huge hit in the US, where it reached #4 and was certified 2-times-Platinum. It received a Gold certification in the UK - Cher's 9th consecutive album to do so. It sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Live album, 'Live - The Farewell Tour', was released in August, hitting #40 in the US. Both albums were also compiled together as 'The Very Best of Cher - Special Edition', reaching #83 on the US Billboard 200.
In December, Cher played a diva-ish version of herself in the comedy film 'Stuck On You', starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear. It grossed $65 million worldwide and peaked at #3 on the US Box Office chart. New Cher song 'Human' featured in the film. Before year's end, Cher did a duet of show tune 'Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered' with Rod Stewart - for his multi-platinum album 'As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook, Volume II' - which hit #17 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.
Containing the majority of Cher's music videos, DVD 'The Very Best of Cher: The Video Hits Collection' was released in June 2004. It went Platinum in the US and Australia.
In March 2005, Cher was awarded the VH1 Music First Award - recognizing legends in music - at the first MTV Australia Video Music Awards. She remains the sole winner of the award. The next month, she completed her 'The Farewell Tour' and went into retirement. Cher - who had been very active every year for the last forty years - was seldom seen in 2006 and '07. September 2006 saw her being voted by the British public as the country's favorite female pop star on TV show 'Battle Of The Popstars Live'.
She was back in May 2008 to began an almost-three-year residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, entitled 'Cher At The Colosseum'. 192 shows were played, grossing $97 million. Cher - who's father was Armenian - was given a Legend Award at the Armenian Music Awards before year's end.Between 2008 and 2010, Sonny & Cher's daughter Chastity Bono underwent a gender transition to become male and adopted the name Chaz Bono.
In 2010, Cher starred - as Tess - alongside Christina Aguilera in the musical film 'Burlesque'. It opened at #3 at the US Box Office and grossed $89 million worldwide. The film's soundtrack album contained two Cher songs - including the Golden Globe Award-winning 'You Haven't Seen The Last of Me' - and was a worldwide success: it was certified Gold in the US (#18), Australia (#2), Canda (#16) and Japan (#8). It reached #1 on the Taiwan International Albums Chart, where it was certified double-Platinum. The aforementioned Cher song became her 7th #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart - which granted her the record of having Billboard #1 hits in six consecutive decades.
As well as Lifetime Achievement Award honours at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards and Spain's Los Premios 40 Principales, Cher was honoured with a hand and footprint ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theater.
In early 2011, Cher and her family members appeared in her son's Emmy Award-nominated and GLAAD Media Award-winning documentary 'Becoming Chaz'. In July 2011, she voiced character Janet the Lioness in the family comedy film 'Zookeeper' starring Kevin James - it grossed $169 million worldwide. She also sang Boston's 'More Than A Feeling' with the cast over its closing credits.
Cher herself returned to music with single 'Woman's World' in June 2013. It became her 8th #1 hit on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. In September, she released her first studio album in 12 years, the US#3 'Closer To The Truth'. It gave Cher her highest debut ever on the Billboard 200, her highest solo position on the chart, and expanded her span of US Top 3 albums to 48 years. The album also reached #4 in the UK and Canada - it was certified Gold in the latter.
October single 'I Hope You Find It' (UK#25) made her the oldest female artist to score a UK Top 30 single and increased her span of UK Top 40 hits to six consecutive decades before becoming her 31st hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. In November, she performed and guest judged on a Cher-themed episode of ABC's 'Dancing With The Stars', watched by 13.7-million viewers. November's 'Take It Like A Man' became a #2 hit on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart as did 2014's 'I Walk Alone'.
In March 2014, Cher embarked on her North American 'Dressed To Kill Tour'. It ended its first leg with a gross of $55-million, becoming world's top grossing female tour in the mid-year chart...
October single 'I Hope You Find It' (UK#25) made her the oldest female artist to score a UK Top 30 single and increased her span of UK Top 40 hits to six consecutive decades before becoming her 31st hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. In November, she performed and guest judged on a Cher-themed episode of ABC's 'Dancing With The Stars', watched by 13.7-million viewers. November's 'Take It Like A Man' became a #2 hit on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart as did 2014's 'I Walk Alone'.
In March 2014, Cher embarked on her North American 'Dressed To Kill Tour'. It ended its first leg with a gross of $55-million, becoming world's top grossing female tour in the mid-year chart...