On the 27th of February 1974 Cher filed for divorce from her husband Sonny, citing ‘involuntary servitude’ aka. slavery. It was a scandalous end for the duo, who had charmed America with their kooky relationship and heart felt songs. A decade earlier Sonny & Cher released their international chart topping single ‘I got you babe’. In the decade that followed they sold over 40 million records making them one of the most successful duos of all time. But after just a few years at the top, the couple would be pulled apart by financial ruin, infidelity, and a demand for total control by one over the other. This is the story of what really broke up America’s oddest couple, from those who were there.

• Martin Laer