Cher Father: Who Is John Sarkisian?

Cher, born Cherilyn Sarkisian is an American singer, actress and television personality often viewed as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry.

She is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for her work in various sectors of the entertainment industry, as well as adopting a variety of styles and appearances throughout her six-decade-long career.

She was born in El Centro, California, on May 20, 1946 to her parents John Sarkisian and Georgia Holt.

Who Is John Sarkisian?

Cher’s father was an Armenian-American truck driver who battled drug and gambling problems.

He was rarely home when she was an infant, and her parents divorced when she was ten months old.

Sadly, Cher did not meet Sarkisian until she was eleven years old.

In her book, The First Time, she recounted that her father was not a topic of conversation while growing up.

“Since no one ever talked about him, I figured the subject was closed,” she recalled.

Below is Cher’s description of her father;

My father was Armenian. He was about two inches taller than my mother, and well built. He seemed strong.

He had curly black hair and dark, slanty eyes like mine and big fluffy eyebrows. He looked a lot like me, and I thought once again…

Now I understand. This is where I came from. I knew then why I looked the way I looked.”