Cher announces death of mother Georgia Holt, aged 96

Cher has announced her mother, Georgia Holt, has died at the age of 96.

The Believe singer, 76, announced the news by simply posting on Twitter: "Mom is gone" early Sunday morning.

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Holt's death comes after months of health issues, including being hospitalised with pneumonia in September. Cher had been caring for her throughout this period, posting updates on the social media site that said Holt was "getting better".

Holt is survived by daughter Cher, grandsons Chaz Bono and Elijah Blue Allman, and partner of 46 years, Craig Spencer.

No further statement has been released by the family.

Born Jackie Jean Crouch, Holt was born in Kensett, Arkansas in 1926, to a 13-year-old Lynda Inez Gulley and 21-year-old baker, Roy Malloy Crouch.

Having been taught to play guitar by her father, Holt fled to Los Angeles in 1946 in a bid for stardom, after developing a love for singing and performance.

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At the time, the then 19-year-old had just split from first husband, John Sarkisian, and was pregnant with daughter, Cher.

She had been encouraged to terminate the pregnancy by her mother, but had refused, instead choosing to go it alone.

The mother/daughter duo have been somewhat inseparable ever since, with Holt becoming a key figure in Cher's career while simultaneously developing her own.

Major moments include appearing in an episode of I Love Lucy, and recording her own country music album in 1982 (but wasn't officially released until 2013).

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Cher's bond with Holt was so strong the singer even created a documentary film celebrating her life titled Dear Mom, Love Cher.

Most recently, Holt appeared alongside grandson Chaz Bono as a guest star on season six of RuPaul's Drag Race.

The episode, titled Queens Of Talk, saw the pair as "guests" on an imaginary chat show fronted by the competing drag queens.

Holt was married a total of six times during her life, including re-marrying Sarkisian 19 years after their original divorce.

She has been with partner Spencer since 1976, though the pair never officially married.

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