Sonny Bono

Sonny Bono
Congressional portrait c. 1995
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 44th district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 5, 1998
Preceded by	Al McCandless
Succeeded by	Mary Bono
16th Mayor of Palm Springs
In office April 1988 – April 1992
Preceded by	Frank Bogert
Succeeded by	Lloyd Maryanov
Personal details
Born	Salvatore Phillip Bono (1935-02-16)February 16, 1935 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	January 5, 1998(1998-01-05) (aged 62) Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
Cause of death	Blunt trauma as a result of a skiing accident
Resting place	Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Donna Rankin ​ ​ (m. 1954; div. 1962)​ Cher ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1975)​ Susie Coelho ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1984)​ Mary Whitaker ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	4, including Chaz
Residence(s)	Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Occupation	Singer songwriter actor politician
Musical career
Origin	Inglewood, California, U.S.
Genres	Pop pop rock folk rock
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1963–1998
Musical artist

Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (/ˈboʊnoʊ/ BOH-noh; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, songwriter, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife, Cher, as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republican Party, Bono served as the 16th mayor of Palm Springs, California, from 1988 to 1992, and served as the U.S. representative for California's 44th district from 1995 until his death in 1998.^[1]

The United States Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which extended the term of copyright by 20 years, was named in honor of Bono when it was passed by Congress nine months after his death. Mary Bono (his widow and successor in Congress) had been one of the original sponsors of the legislation, commonly known as the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act.^[2]