Chers 80th: Heartache and Cougar Love Revealed

She is a global icon whose ability to constantly reinvent herself has seen her conquer the worlds of pop, fashion and Hollywood.

But while she once famously sang about wanting to Turn Back Time, the evergreen  has turned an improbable 80. 

So will the woman who has spent decades thrilling audiences in sequins and gravity-defying gowns celebrate her milestone birthday by throwing a blowout party at her $100million Malibu estate?

Not so, according to friends. Instead, they say that entering Cher's ninth decade is 'bittersweet' for the star.

As one friend told Daily Mail: 'She's looking better than ever and is constantly busy. She's writing the second part of her memoir and is working on a docuseries of her life. She's talking about going on the road again one last time because she thinks she has one tour left in her.

'But when you talk to her she says this is a bittersweet time in her life. She's not in the mood for a big celebration.'

And the reason for that is deeply personal.

Cher's youngest son Elijah Blue, 49, her son with second husband Greg Allman, is currently in a secure psychiatric facility on America's east coast battling a severe drug addiction.

The friend added: 'Elijah has had addiction issues his whole life. His father [a member of the Allman Brothers Band] was a drug addict, which is why Cher divorced him. She loves Elijah and he's constantly on her mind. She's doing everything she can to help him.'

In an ongoing legal case at Los Angeles Superior Court over issues related to his drug abuse, Elijah said his mother cut him off financially in 2021. He still receives $10,000 a month from his late father's estate, and last month Cher filed for an emergency petition for temporary conservatorship over his financial affairs. A judge denied it, saying it was unnecessary while Elijah remains in a locked-down treatment center.

Friends say Cher is 'doing everything she can to give him the support he needs.'

But they add: 'She will not give him money for drugs. She has learned to live with the heartache but she will never give up on him.'

Never giving up on anything has been a feature of Cher's entire life.

She exploded onto the music scene with I Got You Babe as half of Sonny & Cher, one of the defining acts of the 1960s. The couple went on to have one of the biggest TV hits of the 1970s, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, which regularly drew 30million viewers a week.

When her marriage to Sonny imploded she reinvented herself as a solo star, with hits including Believe and If I Could Turn Back Time. She is the only solo performer to have had a UK top 40 hit in seven consecutive decades, and has sold more than 100million records.

Her 1989 video for If I Could Turn Back Time was banned from TV stations in America because it featured Cher writhing aboard a Navy battleship in fishnets, flashing large tattoos on her bottom. Those tattoos, the Daily Mail has been told, have since been removed by laser.

Her friend said: 'The tattoos were for shock value. Once everyone started getting them, she had them lasered off.'

She became a bona fide Hollywood movie star in films like Moonstruck (which won her an Oscar in 1987), The Witches of Eastwick (the same year), and most recently in 2018's Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

She became a fashion icon, too, strutting the Oscars red carpet in a now iconic Bob Mackie sheer black gown with an enormous, feathered headdress, and turning the Met Gala into a global event after turning up in a sheer jewel-studded creation.

The friend said: 'Cher isn't someone who has ever stopped living life. When you see her it's impossible to believe she's turning 80. She looks at least two decades younger and she's very happy in her personal life.'

The reason for that is music producer Alexander Edwards, her partner for nearly four years, who is 40 years her junior. But Cher has always celebrated being branded the 'original cougar' for her May-December relationships with men, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise (they were both in their 20s while she was considerably older).

'They're very sweet together,' the source said. 'They're always laughing and joking. People have always sneered at Cher for liking younger men but why not? She refuses to apologize for it. She's always challenged double standards around aging. She's gorgeous and he's sweet and funny. They make a great couple. They're working on music together and he's talking about producing another album for her.'

Cher has defended their relationship, saying Edwards, known as AE, 'treats me like a Queen,' and has dismissed her critics witheringly.

'Whatever…' she says. 'They're not living my life. On paper it's kind of ridiculous but in real life we get along.'

While her relationship with her youngest son has been strained by his addiction problems, Cher has a close relationship with her eldest Chaz Bono.

Chaz, now 57, famously became one of the first people in Hollywood to openly transition from female to male, a journey he chronicled in the award-winning 2011 documentary Becoming Chaz, which focused on the love and support he received from his mother.

The friend said: 'Chaz is happily married now and he and Cher are very close. She's very proud of him and the person he's become. She's still very involved in LGBTQ causes and does a lot of fundraising quietly. The community absolutely adores her and the feeling is mutual.'

Stars like Madonna, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga have all cited Cher as blazing the way for their success.

One senior music executive who has worked with Madonna said: 'Without Cher there would be none of these amazing women. She did disco, she belted out power ballads, she created spectacular stage shows, she went to Vegas.

'It's much easier to become a star than it is to come back and reinvent yourself time and time again, like she has. Cher's the ultimate survivor and that is why people of all generations love her. She fascinates people. You can't wait to see what she does next.'

If Cher does take a moment to reflect on her amazing life today it won't be for long.

She may have sung about wanting to turn back time, but when she was once asked about getting old, she replied: 'Old age is always 15 years older than I am.'