Sonny Bono

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Sonny Bono
Sonny Bono
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 44th district
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 5, 1998

Final term completed by widow Mary Bono
Preceded by Alfred A. McCandless
Succeeded by Mary Bono
Born February 16, 1935(1935-02-16)
Detroit, Michigan
Died January 5, 1998 (aged 62)
South Lake Tahoe, California
Political party Republican
Spouse Mary Bono
Susie Coelho
Cher (Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre)
Donna Rankin
Religion Roman Catholic/Scientologist

Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (February 16, 1935(1935-02-16) – January 5, 1998) was an American record producer, singer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Entertainment career

Born in Detroit, Michigan, to Italian immigrants Jean and Santo,[1] Bono began his music career working for the legendary record producer Phil Spector in the early 1960s as a promotion man, percussionist and "gofer." One of his earliest songwriting efforts was "Needles and Pins." Later in the same decade, he achieved commercial success, along with his then-wife Cher, as part of the singing duo Sonny and Cher. Bono wrote, arranged, and produced a number of hit records with singles like "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On," although Cher received more attention. Sonny and Cher starred in a popular television variety show, The Sonny and Cher Show, which ran on CBS from 1971 to 1974.

Bono continued his acting career, doing bit roles in such shows as Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. He played the part of mad bomber Joe Seluchi in Airplane II: The Sequel and the part of Franklin Von Tussle in John Waters' Hairspray. In the film Men In Black, Bono is one of several oddball celebrities seen on a wall of video screens that monitor extraterrestrials living among us. In 1986 he also appeared in the horror movie Troll.

[edit] Political career

Bono entered politics after experiencing great frustration with local government bureaucracy in trying to open a restaurant in Palm Springs, California. With conservative talk radio host Marshall Gilbert as his campaign manager (and later as the godfather of his two children by his wife, Mary), Bono placed a successful bid to become the new mayor of Palm Springs. He served from 1988 to 1992.[1] He was instrumental in making the city more business-friendly and in spearheading the creation of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, now held each year in Bono's memory.

Bono ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 1992, but the nomination went to the more conservative Bruce Herschensohn, and the election to the Democrat Dianne Feinstein. Bono and Herschensohn became close friends after the campaign. Bono was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 to represent California's 44th District. He was one of twelve co-sponsors of a House bill extending copyright.[2] Although that bill was never voted on in the Senate, a similar Senate bill was passed after his death and named the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act in his honor.

He championed the restoration of the Salton Sea, bringing the giant lake's plight to national attention. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich made a public appearance and speech at the shore of the lake on Bono's behalf.

In their book Tell Newt to Shut Up, David Maraniss and Michael Weisskopf credit Bono with being the first person to recognize Gingrich's public relations problems in 1995. Drawing on his long experience as a celebrity and entertainment producer, Bono (according to Maraniss and Weisskopf) recognized that Gingrich's status had changed from politician to celebrity, and that Gingrich was not making allowances for that change:

"You're a celebrity now," he told Gingrich. "The rules are different for celebrities. I know it. I've been there. I've been a celebrity. I used to be a bigger celebrity. But let me tell you, you're not being handled right. This is not political news coverage. This is celebrity status. You need handlers. You need to understand what you're doing. You need to understand the attitude of the media toward celebrities."

Maraniss and Weisskopf go on to say that Gingrich did not heed Bono's advice.[citation needed] Gingrich was not interested in image for image sake, but rather in fulfilling his role as an elected leader.[citation needed]

Although a conservative, Bono's celebrity status and easy-going manner allowed him to develop friendships across party lines.

Sonny also had involvement with the hearings related to the Waco 'incident' on April 19, 1993. He was reported to have been extremely upset while watching a video of the attack on the compound. Apparently though, he only asked one question during the entire 10-day hearing, related to the dangers of CS gas to children.

[edit] Personal life

Bono married his first wife, Donna Rankin, on Nov. 3, 1954 and they had a daughter, Christine ("Christy"), born on June 24, 1958, before divorcing in 1962. Following that, Bono married Cher, a singer and entertainer; Bono and Cher had a daughter, Chastity Bono, on March 4, 1969. Six years later, in 1975, the couple divorced. Bono then married Susie Coelho, but divorced her in 1984. He married again in 1986 to the much younger Mary Whitaker. They had two children, Chesare Elan Bono (a son, born 1988) and Chianna Marie Bono (a daughter, born 1991). He became a Scientologist, partly because of the influence of Mimi Rogers, but stated that he was a Roman Catholic on all official documents, campaign materials, web sites, etc. Mary Bono also took Scientology courses.[3] When his daughter Chastity came out as a lesbian, he was more accepting than Cher was at first.[4]

Bono was a champion of the Salton Sea in southeastern California, where a park was named in his honor. The 2005 documentary film Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea[5] (narrated by John Waters) features Bono and documented the lives of the inhabitants of Bombay Beach, Niland, and Salton City, as well as the ecological issues associated with the Sea.

[edit] Death

On January 5, 1998, Bono died of injuries after striking a tree while skiing on the Nevada side of the Heavenly Ski Resort near South Lake Tahoe, California.[6]

Bono's death came just days after Michael Kennedy died in a skiing accident. Bono's widow, Mary, was elected to fill the remainder of the Congressional term. Despite her two marriages since his death, she continues to champion many of Sonny's causes, including the ongoing fight to save the Salton Sea.

His ex-wife, Cher, gave a eulogy at Bono's funeral, after which the attendees sang the song "The Beat Goes On". His final resting place is Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California. The epitaph on Bono's headstone reads: "And the beat goes on."[7]

[edit] Bono in popular culture

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The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • The rock band A have a song named "I Love Lake Tahoe" (featured on the A vs Monkey Kong album), which includes the line, "Yeah the trees are pretty wide / That's where Sonny Bono died". American pop singer Britney Spears covered "The Beat Goes On" later in the year that Bono died, in her debut album ...Baby One More Time.
  • Rapper Eminem has used Bono and the circumstances surrounding his death in several songs, including "Role Model" and "Who Knew." In the latter he raps, "Skibbedy-be-bop, a-Christopher Reeves/Sonny Bono, skis, horses and hittin' some trees."
  • A plaque near Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. reads: "In Memory of my friend Sonny Bono".[8]
  • He was also mentioned in the song About All That by Lil Wayne.
  • Mentioned numerous times in the 1995 sitcom Women of the House, which was set in Washington, D.C.. In the episode Women in Film, it was joked that he was named "best buns" in a superficial 'best and worst of Washington, D.C." list.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sonny Bono Biography - Yahoo! Movies
  2. ^ Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)
  3. ^ Proud Mary Bono, George, August 1999
  4. ^ Freydkin, Donna. "Chastity Bono opens up about coming out", CNN, October 14, 1998. Retrieved on 2007-03-29. 
  5. ^ Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea
  6. ^ Sonny Bono Is Killed in Ski Crash, Washington Post, 1998-01-07
  7. ^ Sonny Bono (1935 - 1998) - Find A Grave Memorial
  8. ^ BONO, Sonny: Plaque near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C

[edit] External links

Scientology Portal
Preceded by
Al McCandless		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 44th congressional district
January 3, 1995–January 5, 1998		 Succeeded by
Mary Bono
Persondata
NAME Bono, Salvatore Phillip
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sonny Bono
SHORT DESCRIPTION American singer
DATE OF BIRTH 16 February 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH 5 January 1998
PLACE OF DEATH South Lake Tahoe, California