Before meeting her first husband, Sonny Bono, a 16-year-old Cher had a brief romance with 25-year-old actor Warren Beatty. It fizzled out before Cher met Sonny, with whom she began a serious relationship. They had one child, son Chaz Bono, born 4 March 1969, shortly before getting married (despite the pair telling the public that they were already wed when rising to super-stardom in 1965.)

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Sonny and Cher separated in 1972 but remained married until 1974. In the meantime, Cher dated music mogul David Geffen. In the mid-1970s, Cher almost went for a date with King of Rock 'n' Roll Elvis Presley, but her nerves got the better of her, and she backed out: "Almost, I got nervous, I didn't get there [to the date], I was that nervous. I wish I had."

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Cher started a much-publicized relationship with The Allman Brothers Band's Gregg Allman in 1974. Cher and Allman married in 1975 and had one child together, son Elijah Blue Allman, born 10 July 1976. The pair separated in 1977 and divorced in 1978.

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Cher began a three-year-long relationship in 1977 with Gene Simmons, who declared Cher his first love. That was in the days before Simmons' rock band Kiss - who always sported face paint during public appearances - had revealed their bare faces to the world. Thus, most of the many photographs of Cher and Simmons at the time show him with his face half-covered.

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Cher met guitarist Les Dudek when she created the rock project Black Rose in 1980. The pair became romantically involved, which lasted until 1982. Cher was introduced to 22-year-old actor Val Kilmer during a party for her 36th Birthday, and the two began a near-two-year relationship.
 
American film producer Joshua Donen, son of Stanley Donen (director of such films as Singin' in the Rain and Charade), was Cher's next boyfriend, beginning in late 1984 and ending in 1986. However, midway through, the pair seemingly had a break as Cher briefly dated actor Tom Cruise in 1985.

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On the eve of Cher's 40th Birthday, Cher met bagel shop worker Rob Camilletti and later asked him for a date. The pair were an item for three years, until 1989. Cher rebounded with Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora for a matter of months. She was once again photographed with Camilletti at multiple events in 1991. However, her usual dates for events for the rest of the decade were her sons Elijah and Chaz.

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Cher would only return to the dating scene almost two decades later. She dated former Hells Angel Tim Medvetz from 2008 to 2009. In 2010, Cher was regularly snapped with her new beau, television writer Ron Zimmerman whom she met on Facebook. The pair were photographed together as late as 2012.