Family, friends, colleagues mourn Sonny Bono
|
Flags flew at half-staff Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
| |
January 6, 1998
Web posted at: 9:13 p.m. EST (0213 GMT)
(CNN) -- The flag over the nation's capital flew at
half-staff Tuesday in honor of U.S. Rep. Sonny Bono, who made himself a star entertainer and then remade himself in the world of public service.
Bono first gained fame with Cher, his wife and singing partner in the 1960s and 1970s. They married in 1963 and divorced in 1974 after a successful stint as pop singers and television entertainers.
Bono was later a restaurateur before becoming mayor of Palm Springs, California, and then a Republican congressman from the same area.
Those mourning his death in a ski accident Monday remembered that when House Republicans met last summer to sort out a coup attempt against House Speaker Newt Gingrich, it was Bono who rose to cut the tension.
Careers go up and down, Bono told them. His darkest hour came, he said, after his recording career had sunk, his prime-time show had been canceled and he was making a TV appearance on "Fantasy Island."
|
Bono with his wife Mary
| |
He emerged from a house as the cameras rolled and said to one of the show's stars, "It's a great day, Pontoon!"
"No, you idiot, it's 'Tattoo'!" actor Herve Villechaize screamed at him.
Mired for days in the House coup's painful aftermath, the
Republican Conference erupted in laughter.
Fellow Republican Rep. Jim Saxton of New Jersey remembered
Bono as someone who, despite his image, meant business.
"He had to work hard just to get past the perception that he
was just a funny guy," Saxton said.
"He was a kind soul with a rare ability to make people
laugh," said House Speaker Newt Gingrich, adding that he and Congress had "lost a very, very dear friend."
In a statement from his Houston office, former President George Bush hailed Bono as "a refreshing voice in Congress."
"While others whined and criticized those in politics,
Sonny got into the political arena," Bush said
A sampling of reaction to his death:
Chastity Bono
Chastity Bono, Bono and Cher's daughter and media spokeswoman for GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, left Los Angeles for Palm Springs to be with other family members.
"Of course, I am deeply saddened by the loss of my father and hope the media will respect my family's privacy during this difficult time," she said in a statement released to the media. "Although my father and I differed on some issues, he was very supportive of my personal life and career and was a loving father. I will miss him greatly."
Bono spokesman Frank Cullen Jr.
"He's truly a renaissance individual for our times," Cullen said. "I've likened him to a Will Rogers voice in Congress (with) humor (and) common sense. He brought real legislative achievements, working on environmental issues for Southern California ... working on issues for the voters of California by protecting their will against activist judges. He was a well-rounded and dedicated lawmaker."
Cher
Bono's former wife (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) had no immediate comment. "Of course she is upset by the news," said Barbara Charone, a London spokeswoman for Cher's record company, WEA.
Cher canceled an appearance in London at the opening of the Harrods Department Store January sale and flew back to the United States, a Harrods' spokesman said.
President Clinton
In a written statement, the president said he was saddened
by Bono's death.
"His joyful entertainment of millions earned him celebrity, but in Washington he earned respect by being a witty and wise participant in policy-making processes that often seem ponderous to the American people."
Sen. Ted Kennedy
The Massachusetts Democrat whose nephew, Michael, was
killed in a Colorado ski accident on New Year's Eve, said his
family was "heartbroken" and felt an "echo" in its sadness because of the similarity of the two deaths.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich
|
Bono, Gingrich
| |
Bono was a "very dear friend" whose death is a "terrible shock," Gingrich said.
"When I became speaker he began giving me advice on just how difficult it is to have this much news coverage. He did it in a wonderfully warm, direct and sincere way. We became
very close."
Telling stories from his celebrity days, Bono was able to put fellow politicians at ease, even during tense moments, the speaker said.
243K/21 sec. AIFF or WAV sound
Gingrich described Bono as a "happy... positive human being."
213K/19 sec. AIFF or WAV sound
"He was a famous person in his own right and none of that had left him. When Sonny and I would be together, folks below a certain age -- and above a certain age -- would come to get my autograph. Everybody in the middle would go to see Sonny."
Tony Orlando
The singer, who with the group Dawn had many hits in the early 1970s, first met Bono in 1974 when Orlando arrived at CBS to begin working on his own TV variety show. Orlando remembers Bono making a newcomer feel welcome.
261K/24 sec. AIFF or WAV sound
Bono was a "wonderful songwriter and master showman (who became a) "master politician. He really cared about the people of the state of California.
"Everything you saw of Sonny on that (TV) screen ... was really the guy that lived within his heart."
Rep. William Thomas
Thomas, a fellow California Republican, called Bono a bright and talented man who took what he learned from his show business days and applied it to the political world.
278K/25 sec. AIFF or WAV sound
"He knew the highs. He knew the lows. Certainly his experiences as an entertainer and a star give him a different perspective but he also started with a relatively poor background. He could connect with anybody at any level."
Rep. Charles Schumer
In 1995, Bono, one of two non-lawyers on the Judiciary Committee, stopped a hearing to complain that members were using too much legal jargon.
"We're making laws here, not sausages," scolded Democrat Charles Schumer of New York.
But in time Bono won a measure of respect, and in a statement Tuesday Schumer praised him as "a moderate voice in the midst of an often intolerant committee majority."
"When Sonny came to Congress, I looked at him as just another Hollywood politician," Schumer said. "Working together on the Judiciary Committee, I came to admire and respect him."
Palm Springs
In Palm Springs, where Bono began his political career, people left flowers on his star on the town's "Walk of
Stars."
One resident said, "We lost a great friend, a great congressman, a great mayor, and a great citizen of Palm Springs. Sonny accomplished many things, but he did one
thing many politicians never accomplish: He earned the respect of the people."
A card left on the walk, referring to the hit song Bono had in the 1960s with Cher, said simply, "We'll miss you, Sonny. The beat goes on."
Copyright 1998 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.