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The Sonny Side of Cher’s Royalty War

A million-dollar legal battle between the late Sonny Bono’s second and fourth wives could have major implications for how rights are valued in Hollywood.

Previous rulings indicate that Cher should be deemed the favorite. But all of Hollywood will be watching closely to see how broadly Kronstadt rules.
Previous rulings indicate that Cher should be deemed the favorite. But all of Hollywood will be watching closely to see how broadly Kronstadt rules. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage
Eriq Gardner
December 11, 2023

Do you believe in royalties after love? Cher sure does. The 77-year-old music icon has made millions of dollars from songs she recorded with her ex, Sonny Bono, after they split in 1974. And she’s still cranking out hits, including a Billboard chart-topper for the seventh consecutive decade, courtesy of her latest sensation, “DJ Play a Christmas Song.” Alas, while this should be a golden era for the legendary songstress, a prickly legal feud with Mary Bono, Sonny’s widow and a former congresswoman, threatens to cast a shadow over her prodigious earnings.