Cher Makes Surprising Admission About Skiing Decades After Ex-Husband Sonny Bono’s Fatal Accident

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Cher Still Skis Decades After Sonny Bono’s Fatal Accident

Cher still finds joy on the slopes, even though skiing is tied to one of her family’s most painful losses.

The music legend revealed that she and her children continue to ski, nearly three decades after her ex-husband Sonny Bono died in a skiing accident.

Cher, 80, made the admission while discussing how she likes to spend the winter months in an interview with British Vogue published Thursday, October 15.

Cher Says She Still Loves Skiing in Aspen

When asked whether she still skis, the “Believe” singer didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I ski—my kids ski,” Cher said.

Her children include Chaz Bono, whom she shared with Sonny, and Elijah Blue Allman, her son with late musician Gregg Allman.

Cher said Aspen remains one of her favorite places to ski.

“I love skiing in Aspen,” she told the publication.

The singer previously owned a home in the Colorado mountain town and said her winter trips are less about detailed itineraries than being surrounded by people close to her.

According to British Vogue, Cher described herself as spontaneous when planning winter getaways.

Cher Prefers Spur-of-the-Moment Family Trips

“I’m not much of a planner. I’m more of a spur-of-the-moment kind of person,” Cher said.

That often means traveling with close friends Richard and Laurie Stark, the founders of Chrome Hearts, and spending time with family, per Vogue.

“I usually get together with two of my best friends, Richard and Laurie Stark —they have Chrome Hearts—and hang out with the kids. We’ll go up to Aspen, or I also have friends in Europe and England.”

For Cher, those trips ultimately come down to something simple. “It usually just means being around people that you really love.”

Sonny Bono Died in a Skiing Accident in 1998

Cher’s continued love of skiing carries an emotional history.

According to History.com, Sonny was 62 when he died on January 5, 1998, after striking a tree while skiing near South Lake Tahoe, California. By then, he and Cher had been divorced for more than two decades, but they remained connected long after their marriage ended.

Cher previously recalled receiving the devastating news from Chaz while she was in London.

“I was in London [in 1998] when I heard that Sonny had died. [Chaz] called and told me, and it was too weird to comprehend,” she told People in 2004.

She remembered asking whether Chaz was OK before the reality of Sonny’s death hit her.

“But then after those words left my lips, I got completely hysterical. It was terrible.”

Cher Says She Doesn’t Think of Sonny as ‘Gone’

Years after his death, Cher said her connection to Sonny still felt remarkably present.

“Strangely enough, I don’t think of Sonny that often. Probably because I don’t think of him as gone,” she previously said.

“I think of him as someplace else. Not here, but not gone. And every so often something will happen or I’ll see something and I’ll think, ‘Oh god, Sonny would think this is so funny.'”

Nearly 30 years later, skiing remains part of Cher’s life with her children and friends, despite the tragedy forever connected to it.