Cher was one of the legendary musical acts of the 1960s and 1970s.
But it all came crashing down.
That’s because Cher lost her entire fortune and was forced to make this brutal decision.
Cher reveals she was broke
Despite churning out hits like “Gypsies,” “Tramps and Thieves,” and “Half-Breeds” in the 1970s, Cher found herself broke in the 1980s.
In an interview on Jennifer Hudson’s show, Cher revealed her fortune had vanished and she was desperate for a way to make money to support her children.
“I lost all the money I had worked for at some point,” Cher admitted.
“So I had to start at ground zero, and I didn’t know what I was gonna actually do to make a living for my kids,” Cher continued.
Cher had to start over by scraping the bottom of the music industry barrel and taking up residency at Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas where she performed a nightly show.
At this point in time, being a Vegas lounge act was looked at like a death knell.
“I decided to go to Caesar’s Palace, which was — you know, people didn’t go there,” Cher continued.
People associated performing nightly in Vegas with Elvis Presley becoming a parody of himself late in his career.
“I was like, ‘What’s Elvis [Presley] doing here?’ But people didn’t go to Las Vegas. It really was the elephant’s graveyard,” Cher continued.
Cher admitted the music industry press thought she would suffer the same fate.
“There was one writer who kept saying every year, ‘This is her last year. This is finally her last year. She is so over,’” Cher continued.
“And I said, ‘You know what buddy, I’ll be here when you’re gone.’ And I think I am,” Cher stated.
Cher turns Vegas into a destination
Cher was a trendsetter in more ways than one.
Cher revitalized her career in Vegas and now big time musical acts fall over themselves to take up residency at a casino.
Shania Twain. Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Christina Aguilera, and Elton John are among those who followed Cher’s lead.
Elton John rakes in a reported $500,000 per show.
Cher remains grateful
Cher experienced a late career resurgence with her 1998 hit “Believe” being named one of Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs.
Cher also expressed her gratitude to Hudson saying some of her success was owed to simple luck.
“But I tried to be cool with everybody because why not?” Cher told Hudson.
“I’m lucky. I’m really lucky because I think to be in our business, it’s not enough to be talented, you’ve gotta have some luck,” Cher admitted.
“Because I know people who can sing rings around me, you know? But they weren’t as lucky. Like I’m a vessel. It goes through me,” Cher concluded.