When my friend Tommy told me we were going to see a statue of Bono this wasn’t what I expected. But there he sits by a fountain in Palm Springs, California a statue of Sonny Bono. Remembered by many as half of the famous musical duo “Sonny and Cher,” Sonny Bono was the driving force behind their success. He wrote several of their hit songs and produced their top-rated television show that ran in the mid-’70s. After the divorce and the end of their musical collaboration, Cher went on to have a stellar career as a solo artist and even won an Oscar for acting. Sonny also excelled but in politics. In 1988, he became the mayor of Palm Springs. California and served four years, before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 44th district which included Palm Springs. Bono had finished one term and was easily reelected to his second. Sadly, but his new career ended on January 5th, 1988 when Sonny Bono was killed in a skiing accident at Lake Tahoe.
The statue is a tremendous draw to the Mercado Plaza where the figure is located. There is even an occasional queue for people waiting to get there selfie with Bono’s likeness. So it wasn’t the image of the U2 frontman I got to see but this Bono is good enough for me. I hope you like this story of Sonny Bono’s statue. It was an honor to Cher it with you.
