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Cher

Cher, Larry King/CNN interview (June 25, 2009)

CHER, SINGER (via phone): When I think of him, I think of this young boy, that teenager that I first met. This, like, adorable boy that I met who, you know, loved to look at my beaded socks, and, you know, said to me once, "Cher, do you think we could just go to the movies?" And we looked at each other and we went, "Nah, I don't think so." We talked about, well, let's rent the movie out, and we'll just bring all of our friends.

And you know, and then a young man that I remember, you know, dancing with all night and going to see "Dreamgirls" with. And, you know, just -- I think of him more like that, because in later years he -- I didn't see him that much and when I did see him, his behavior was very strange to me. And so I didn't relate to that person as well. I didn't really understand him...

But, you know, Michael was always adorable to me. He was always sweet. You know, so...

...I remember one night we were at a party. I think it was on the Queen Mary. And we danced all night long. And I never even thought about -- that, you know, I wasn't his equal as a dancer. We were just having a blast.

He was a great teenager. He was a great, optimistic, adorable, not very confident, though. I mean, he was so beautiful and adorable, but he didn't have any confidence in that.

That night at that party, a guy came over and said something to me about him, and I went, you know what? This is the kind of crap that people start. They just start rumors. You have no idea what you're talking about. Get up from my table; get out of my sight. I don't ever want to talk to you or see you again.

And he said Michael Jackson is going to change the way he looks completely. And he's going to change his skin.

And I went, you know what? I can't tell you what I said. It was all kind of really -- just think of me at my worst, Larry, and you'll know what I said to him.

KING: yes. What -- his talent, how would you describe it? Was he a great singer?

CHER: Yes, he was a great singer. You know, it's like God gives you certain gifts. And some people he gives different gifts, and some people he gives more gifts. And this child was just an extraordinary child, touched by this ability to have people feel him and feel people. And he just had that sense that you get, and you don't get it from a living person. You get it from someplace else. He had it.

And, yes, he was a great singer. I mean, he was a great singer. He was one of the great singers. You can't write him off as just a pop thing, because he could sing like nobody else. He was genius, like Ray Charles. Like Stevie Wonder. Like people that, you know, like people that are -- have a gift. They just have this gift. You don't know where it comes. You don't know how long it stays. You don't know what the impact is going to be. But he was able to connect with people.

You know, he was a really soft-spoken boy. Always. Always. I remember once we were at this party and it was -- I don't know if was a New Year's Eve party. I don't remember. But I was with Val Kilmer. And Bob Mackey had made me a pair of beaded socks for my Christmas present. Val was wearing them. Michael couldn't get over them.

And he kept going, "Vanna, I just love those socks. Cher, I just love those socks."

I said, "Well, you know, they were a present from Bob for me for Christmas."

And he said, "I just love beaded socks." You know, he just was so...

KING: He was a kid.

CHER: Yes. He was just a kid.