Once Known as a Famous Singer's Child, She Later Transitioned – See Her at 57

As the only child of an iconic couple, he grew up in the shadow of his parents' fame, but today he stands in his own light after embracing his identity.

He was once introduced to the world as the golden-haired daughter of a famous singing supercouple. Years later, he transitioned, living as a man and legally changing his name. Now 57, he is living the life he worked toward and has also found love.

A Long Road to Parenthood for the Famous Couple

His parents married in 1964 and faced a difficult journey before welcoming a child. During that time, the mother endured several miscarriages and later shared that she had lost four babies before finally having him.

"It's a spontaneous miscarriage, something that spontaneously aborts the fetus. It's called an angry uterus. It took a long time for someone to tell me that that's what it was. It just starts to contract for no reason. After the third time, it got to be a nightmare," she recalled.

People would congratulate her when she was pregnant, but soon after, she would no longer be expecting because she had miscarried. The singer eventually grew tired of hearing others say they were sorry.

When she later became pregnant with him, her doctor advised her to remain in bed at first. After the three-month mark, she was allowed to begin walking, but she still had to stay inside and avoid riding in cars.

When she eventually gave birth, the delivery was difficult, and she later hemorrhaged after returning home. Despite the ordeal, she was overjoyed because the child brought a new dimension to their household. "I was a mother now," she gushed.

The Singer Grappled with Her Child's Life-Changing Decision

The singer then stepped into parenthood and began raising her child. Looking back on those years, she was once asked whether she believed she could have done better as a parent. She said she felt she had done the best she could.

When her child later decided to transition, the singer initially struggled to come to terms with the change. "It shouldn't have been because, you know, I've had gay friends forever. I just met some beautiful trans chicks, and we have an affinity. Now I'm totally fine. But it's hard to lose one child to get a new one, especially so late. I think that was the hard thing for me," she explained.

She later clarified that the transition itself was not what troubled her most. Instead, it was the uncertainty that came with waiting to see who her child would become and whether he would be very different from the person she had known before.

She held those feelings because she loved who her child was, but she also understood that he had been unhappy and wanted to transition, and she accepted his decision.

Growing up as the Only Child of Sonny and Cher

The child in this story is Chaz Bono, formerly known as Chastity Bono. He is the only child of singer Cher and the late Sonny Bono.

Chaz has spoken openly about his bond with his mother, saying that once she accepted his transition, their relationship became strong, and she has been incredibly supportive.

While still figuring himself out, 13-year-old Chaz, who initially believed he was a lesbian, told his mother that he was attracted to women. It took Chaz several years to realize that he should be male.

"I knew my whole life something was different. As a small kid, I could be one of the boys, playing sports, fitting in. When I hit puberty, I felt like my body was literally betraying me. I got smacked everywhere with femaleness. That was really traumatic," he noted.

In 2001, he began studying lesbians and noticed that butch-acting or butch-dressing women still maintained a strong female identity — something he never felt himself. This observation confirmed his feelings that he should be male.

Over time, seeing transgender people represented in the media emboldened him, though he initially viewed gender transition as a last resort for those in extreme distress.

“I thought transgender people are much worse off than I am. That's why they're willing to risk everything to be who they are. But the older I got, the harder it got to stay in my body," Chaz explained.

The Moment Chastity Became Chaz

Eventually, in 2009, Chaz, then 40, made a striking announcement: he was transitioning to live as a man. By May 2010, Chastity had legally and physically become Chaz.

However, he later explained that he had known for about 10 years that this was who he was, but did not initially have the courage to begin living openly as a transgender man. During that period, he faced several personal struggles, including the deaths of his partner and his father, as well as an addiction to painkillers.

"Getting sober was like the first step towards anything because you can't do anything when you're in that state," he said. Chaz shared that after getting sober, he began attending therapy, where he realized he needed to focus on himself.

Sobriety and therapy ultimately helped him take the major step of transitioning. He also noted that transitioning as a public figure came with its own challenges, as it sometimes required figuring out his identity in the public eye.

Chaz added that it was frustrating when some assumed people transitioned for publicity. He emphasized that he was transitioning simply because he needed to. Still, when he saw that he had little chance of going through this major life change privately, he embraced the publicity for a good cause.

"I thought, 'Let me do the opposite and try to really help people and bring understanding and shed light on this issue that so many people just can't seem to wrap their head around," he noted.

Chaz's transition was documented in the film "Becoming Chaz." For nearly 16 months, cameras followed the process as Chastity physically and mentally transitioned from living as a woman to becoming a man — a life he continues to live today.

Finding Love and a New Chapter at 57

After his transition, he feared he might never find lasting love with a woman. However, Chaz eventually did at age 49. He fell for former child TV star Shara Blue Mathes, who appeared alongside Jason Bateman in the 1984 comedy series "It's Your Move."

Cher gave her blessing to her son's relationship with Shara, embracing the former drug addict and divorced mother of one as part of the family. She even attended their wedding recently, looking glamorous.

Chaz and Shara were married on Monday, March 9, 2026, in a ceremony held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. The couple, together since 2017, exchanged vows in one of the venue's ballrooms.

Their wedding followed several challenging years. In 2021, Shara was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. After she completed her chemotherapy treatments that same year, Chaz shared a cozy picture of the couple outdoors by a fire.

He captioned it, "I love this picture of @sharablue and I. I think it somehow captures the incredible strength and dignity Shara’s embodied throughout her breast cancer treatments this year, and how much I absolutely adore her and have tried to be a loving, supportive partner."

In 2023, Chaz shared another heartfelt post, a cute selfie of him and Shara celebrating a milestone. He penned, "Shara and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary together today. I’m so grateful to share my life with this amazing woman."

The couple has now been together for nine years, and Shara’s affection extends to Chaz’s mother as well. In 2019, she posted a picture of herself with Cher backstage at an event, wishing her a happy birthday.

She wrote, "Happy Birthday to the woman who signs my birthday cards 'Love your Mother-in-Law (basically), Me!' She truly is the bees knees, the whole bag of chips and all of that."

Now, as Chaz and Shara begin this new chapter as a married couple, they do so with the love and support of Cher. Chaz Bono, who once struggled with his identity, is now sharing his life with his wife, marking a journey of self-discovery, acceptance, and enduring love.