Cher Mourns Death of Her Mother, Actress and Singer Georgia Holt: ‘Mom Is Gone’

Cher is mourning the loss of her mother, actress and singer Georgia Holt, after announcing Saturday night that “mom is gone.” Holt was 96.

The news comes several months after the “If I Could Turn Back Time” singer shared that her mother was hospitalized for pneumonia, adding that she’s been “sick off & on” but “she’s getting better.” No further information regarding Holt’s cause of death is currently available.

The singer, actress and model is most remembered for her roles in “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” “I Love Lucy” and “Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theater,” alongside with films she was featured in including “A Life of Her Own,” “Watch the Birdie,” “Grounds for Marriage” and “Father’s Little Dividend.”

Born as Jackie Jean Crouch on June 9, 1926 in Kensett, Arkansas, Holt recalled being a singer when she was a child despite growing up during the Depression with “no money and no food.” After hitchhiking to California with her dad and her brother, she met truck driver John Sarkisia in Fresno, California, and gave birth to Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946, in El Centro, California.

After being offered a contract with Columbia Records in 1980, Holt recorded her debut album, “Honky Tonk Woman,” which was backed by members of Elvis Presley’s band and featured a duet with Cher called “I’m Just Your Yesterday.”

The album was not released until 2013, however, when the tapes were Holt’s garage and Cher gave them to her musical director, Paul Mirkovich.

Following the album’s release, the mother-daughter duo appeared in the Mother’s Day Lifetime documentary “Dear Mom, Love Cher” with Cher’s half-sister, actress Georganne LaPiere.

Most recently, Holt served as a guest judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alongside her grandson Chaz Bono.

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Following the news of her death, Hollywood shared their condolences. Here is a sprinkling of the many.