The Grammy winner changed her legal full name to Cher in the late ’70s, dropping her four surnames—her birth name Sarkisian, plus the last names of her stepfather Gilbert LaPiere and ex-husbands Sonny Bono and Gregg Allman. As part of the process, she needed to first obtain her birth certificate.
“I was shocked to discover that I was officially registered as Cheryl,” Cher wrote in her memoir, “and asked my mother, ‘Do you even known my real name, Mom?'”
She said Georgia, who gave birth to her at age 19, responded, “Let me look at that!” and, recalling her postpartum experience, added, “I was only a teenager, and I was in a lot of pain. Give me a break.”