‘Mom is gone’: Cher reveals the death of her mother, Georgia Holt

Singer Cher announced the death of her mother, singer and actress Georgia Holt, on Sunday.

“Mom is gone,” Cher tweeted. Cher’s rep, Liz Rosenberg, confirmed the news to The Washington Post. Other details, such as the time and cause of death, were not disclosed. In September, Cher said Holt had been admitted to hospital with pneumonia but was on the mend.

Holt was 96 years old. Born Jackie Jean Crouch in Arkansas, Holt developed a love of music as a child and won several talent and beauty contests. In her twenties, she moved to Hollywood and landed roles in various 1950s movies and TV shows, including “I Love Lucy” and “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.”

She was twice married to Cher’s father, John Sarkisian, once from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1965 to 1966. She was married and divorced four other times. After her first divorce from Sarkisian, she struggled financially as a single mother and briefly placed Cher in a Catholic orphanage. Holt was in a relationship with Craig Spencer from 1976 until his death.

She recorded an album called Honky Tonk Woman in 1980, which included covers, originals, and a duet with Cher. The tapes were lost until 2013, when she found them in her garage; she sent them to her musical director, and they came out that year.

That same year, Cher released a documentary about Holt titled “Dear Mom, Love Cher”, which featured interviews with Holt, his daughters Cher and Georganne LaPiere, and Cher’s children, Chaz Bono and Elijah Blue Allman.