The passing of Georgia Holt at the age of 96 marks the end of an era for her daughter, Cher, and the fans who admired her resilience and talent. Cher shared the sad news on social media with a simple message: “Mom is gone.” Though brief, the statement carried the weight of a century-long life that helped shape one of the biggest icons in entertainment history.

Born Jackie Jean Crouch on June 9, 1926, in Arkansas, Holt grew up during the Great Depression. She began singing on the radio at age six and moved to Hollywood in the 1940s, appearing on classic shows like I Love Lucy. Though talented, she frequently put family ahead of her own career ambitions.

As a single mother raising Cher and her sister Georganne, Holt taught her daughters to be fiercely independent. She served as a vocal coach, stylist, and mentor, sharing the rich contralto voice that Cher would later bring to millions.

In 2013, Holt gained overdue recognition through the documentary Dear Mom, Love Cher. That same year, Cher helped restore and release her mother’s forgotten 1980s country album, Honky Tonk Woman, bringing Holt to the Billboard charts for the first time at age 86.

In her final years, Cher stepped back from public life to serve as her mother’s primary caregiver following a bout of pneumonia.

Georgia Holt’s legacy is one of survival, warmth, and strength—a woman who overcame hardship, stayed grounded through her daughter’s rise to global fame, and proved it is never too late to pursue a dream.