Georgia Holt

{{Short description|American singer-songwriter actress (1926–2022)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Georgia Holt

| image = Georgia Holt non-free.jpg

| alt = Georgia Holt

| caption = Georgia Holt in the 1940s

| birth_name = Jackie Jean Crouch

| birth_date = {{birth date|1926|6|9}}

| birth_place = Kensett, Arkansas, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|12|10|1926|6|9}}

| death_place = Malibu, California, U.S.

| other_names = {{Plainlist|

Georgia LaPiere

}}

| spouse = {{Plainlist|

{{marriage|John Sarkisian|June 22, 1945|1947|end=divorced}}
{{marriage||December 15, 1965|1966|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|Chris Alcaide|April 10, 1948|1951|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|John Southall|March 19, 1951|1955|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|Joseph Harper Collins|September 7, 1957|1961|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|Gilbert Hartmann LaPiere|December 8, 1962|1964|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|Hamilton T. Holt|January 24, 1970|1974|end=divorced}}

}}

| children = 2, including Cher

| partner = Craig Spencer (1976–2022)

| relatives = {{Plainlist|

Chaz Bono (grandson)
Elijah Blue Allman (grandson)

}}

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Singer-songwriter
actress
model}}

| years_active = 1932–2014

| module = {{Infobox musical artist

| embed = yes

| genre = Country

| associated_acts = {{flatlist|

Bob Wills
Cher}}

}}

Georgia Holt (born Jackie Jean Crouch; June 9, 1926 – December 10, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, model, and occasional bit part actress. She was best known for being the mother of Cher.

Early life

Holt was born Jackie Jean Crouch on June 9, 1926, in Kensett, Arkansas, to Lynda Inez (née Gulley; 1913–2009) and Roy Malloy Crouch (1905–1969). Mr. Crouch was a baker at the time. Holt said she was of English, German, Irish, French, Dutch, and Cherokee descent. Frequently moving back and forth between her separated parents, Holt estimated that she attended 17 junior high schools. Her father taught her how to sing and play guitar.{{cite news |last=Woo |first=Kelly |title=First Look at Cher With Her Mom in Lifetime Documentary |url=https://tv.yahoo.com/news/first-look-at-cher-with-her-mom-in-lifetime-documentary--photo--183457865.html |access-date=May 1, 2013 |newspaper=Yahoo! TV |date=April 2, 2013}}{{cite news |last=Peeples |first=Jase |title=Watch: Cher and Her Mother Sing on Ellen |url=http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2013/05/01/watch-cher-and-her-mother-sing-ellen |access-date=May 1, 2013 |newspaper=The Advocate |date=May 1, 2013}}{{cite news |last=Kalter |first=Suzy |date=August 7, 1978 |title=After Seven Failed Marriages, Cher's Ma (Chastity's Grandma) Takes Her Own Star Turn |newspaper=People |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20071447,00.html |url-status=dead |access-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607141704/https://people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20071447,00.html |archive-date=June 7, 2013}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.aaanativearts.com/the-controversy-of-cher-s-heritage |title=The Controversy of Cher's Heritage |date=September 28, 2015 |website=AAA Native Arts}}{{Cite news |date=2022-12-14 |title=Georgia Holt, singer, actress and mother of Cher – obituary |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/12/14/georgia-holt-singer-actress-mother-cher-obituary/ |access-date=2022-12-14 |issn=0307-1235}}

Career

Holt sang on an Oklahoma City radio station when she was six years old, and by the age of 10, had sung with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. She won several talent and beauty competitions, and had a number of minor television and film roles in the 1950s. These included Watch the Birdie (1950), Grounds for Marriage (1951) and Lovely to Look At (1952).{{cite magazine |last=Claesson |first=Samuel |date=March 2025 |title=Georgia Pelham Holt |magazine=Classic Images |pages=26–29}} However, by the mid-1950s, Holt's income was largely derived from working as a club singer.

After performing in a singers' workshop (Phil Moore's "Get Your Act Together") in July 1978 at Studio One in Los Angeles, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, and Dinah Shore booked Holt to appear on their television talk shows. Holt also appeared as an audience polling member as part of a group of ten mothers of famous celebrities on the American game show Card Sharks on July 4–8, 1988.{{Cite web |url=https://thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com/meet-chers-93-year-old-mother-georgia-holt-great-video-with-cher-chaz-and-elijah-blue-allman-georgia/ |title=Meet Cher's 93 year old mother, Georgia Holt- Great Video with Cher, Chaz, and Elijah Blue , sister Georgeanne, Allman & Georgia |date=October 5, 2019 |website=thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com/ |access-date=December 11, 2022 |archive-date=December 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211053017/https://thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com/meet-chers-93-year-old-mother-georgia-holt-great-video-with-cher-chaz-and-elijah-blue-allman-georgia/ |url-status=dead}}

Holt was the subject of the 2013 Lifetime documentary Dear Mom, Love Cher, which was executive produced by her daughter, Cher. The same year, Holt also released her album Honky Tonk Woman, which was recorded in 1982 with the TCB Band. It was Holt's discovery of the tapes which led to the documentary project. The album includes a duet with Cher titled "I'm Just Your Yesterday".{{cite news |last=Rice |first=Lynette |title=Cher's family subject of Lifetime documentary |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/04/01/chers-family-subject-of-lifetime-documentary-exclusive |access-date=May 1, 2013 |newspaper=Entertainment Weekly |date=April 1, 2013}}

In 2013, Holt and Cher appeared together on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno{{cite news |last=Yahr |first=Emily |title=TV highlights |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/tv-highlights-amanda-knox-sits-for-first-interview-since-release-from-prison/2013/04/29/c2a301b2-a935-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html |access-date=May 1, 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 29, 2013}}{{cite news |last=Avery |first=Dan |title=Cher Reveals Her Teenage Mugshot On "The Tonight Show" |url=http://www.newnownext.com/cher-reveals-her-teenage-mugshot-on-the-tonight-show-photo/05/2013/ |access-date=May 1, 2013 |newspaper=NewNowNext |date=May 1, 2013}} and The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote the documentary and album.

Personal life

Holt was married and divorced seven times to six husbands. She married Cher's father, Armenian-American truck driver John Paul Sarkisian,{{Cite web |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/cher/ |title=Cher. Biography, news, photos and videos |website=HELLO! |date=October 8, 2009 }} on June 22, 1945 in Reno, Nevada;[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/701709261 "Licensed To Wed"]. The Fresno Bee. June 25, 1945. p. 11. they briefly remarried and redivorced about 20 years later. Holt's second husband was actor Chris Alcaide.{{cite web |last1=Hendricks |first1=Nancy |title=Georgia Holt (1926–2022) |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/georgia-holt-12542/ |website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |publisher=Central Arkansas Library System |access-date=September 7, 2024 |date=December 12, 2022}} Her third husband was actor John Southall, with whom she had her second child, actress Georganne LaPiere.{{Cite web |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=2022-12-12 |title=Georgia Holt, actor, singer and Cher's mother, dies aged 96 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/dec/12/georgia-holt-actor-singer-and-chers-mother-dies-aged-96 |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=MyNewsGH |date=2022-12-11 |title=Georgia Holt Children: Meet Cher and Georganne LaPiere |url=https://www.mynewsgh.com/georgia-holt-children-meet-cher-and-georganne-lapiere/ |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=MyNewsGh |language=en-us}} She later wed Joseph Harper Collins, after whom she married Gilbert Hartmann LaPiere, a bank manager who legally adopted Cher and Georganne and changed their surnames to LaPiere.{{Cite web |url=https://lady.co.uk/cher-her-family-saga-and-mother%E2%80%99s-love |title=CHER, HER FAMILY SAGA and a mother's love | lady.co.uk |website=lady.co.uk}} Holt's last marriage was to Hamilton T. Holt, by whose surname she became known.

From 1976 until her death, Holt was in a relationship with Craig Spencer.{{Cite web |url=http://www.tvworthwatching.com/post/Dear-Mom-Love-Cher-Lifetime.aspx |title=Lifetime's 'Dear Mom, Love Cher' has Georgia on its Mind}} Holt was 50 and running an antiques shop when she met the then 28-year-old Spencer, who was initially interested in her daughter Georganne.

In the late 1970s, Holt owned and operated a bedding store in Brentwood, California, called Granny's Cabbage Patch. It was paid for by Cher, who noted in her 2024 autobiography that it consistently operated at a financial loss until its closure.

Holt had two grandsons, Cher's children, Chaz Bono and Elijah Blue Allman.

On December 10, 2022, Cher announced on Twitter that Holt had died at age 96.{{Cite web |date=December 11, 2022 |title=Cher confirms her mother Georgia Holt death at 96 |url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/457967-cher-confirms-her-mother-georgia-holt-death-at-96 |access-date=December 12, 2022 |website=Geo.tv |language=en}}{{Cite tweet |author=Cher |user=cher |number=1601804644501508096 |title=Mom is gone😔}} Holt was survived by Spencer, her daughters and grandchildren.

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes ! Ref
rowspan="2"\|1950 \|A Life of Her Own \|Uncredited \|rowspan="3"\|Movies \|
Watch the Birdie \|Grandpop's Girl \|
1951 \|Grounds for Marriage \|First Girl \|
rowspan="2"\|1955 \|The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet \|Bride \|TV episode "David's Engagement" \|
Artists and Models \|Uncredited \|Movie \|
1956 \|I Love Lucy \|Jaques Marcel Model \|TV episode "Lucy Gets a Paris Gown" \|
1966 \|The Lucy Show \|Model \|TV episode "Lucy and Pat Collins" \|
1978 \|Cher... Special \|rowspan="13"\|Herself \|Voice only \|
1979 \|The Mike Douglas Show \|rowspan="2"\|TV series \|
1980 \|The Merv Griffin Show \|
1987 \|Superstars and Their Moms \|TV movie, also co-executive producer \|
1999 \|Behind the Music \|TV series documentary episode "Cher" \|
2011 \|Becoming Chaz \|TV series \|
rowspan="7"\|2013 \|Entertainment Tonight \|Television infotainment series \|
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno \|Late night comedy program (NBC-TV) \|{{Cite web \|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/georgia-holt/credits/3000050087/ \|title=Georgia Holt \|website=TV Guide}}
The Ellen DeGeneres Show \|TV series \|
Good Morning America \|Morning news program (ABC-TV) \|
Access Hollywood \|Television infotainment series \|
Dear Mom, Love Cher \|TV documentary \|
20/20 \|Weekly news program (on ABC-TV) \|
2013 \|Sunday Morning \| Herself \|Weekly news program \|
2014 \|RuPaul's Drag Race \| Herself/Guest Judge \| Season 6 episode 9; "Queens of Talk" \|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

! Ref

rowspan="2"|1950

|A Life of Her Own

|Uncredited

|rowspan="3"|Movies

Watch the Birdie

|Grandpop's Girl

1951

|Grounds for Marriage

|First Girl

rowspan="2"|1955

|The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet

|Bride

|TV episode "David's Engagement"

Artists and Models

|Uncredited

|Movie

1956

|I Love Lucy

|Jaques Marcel Model

|TV episode "Lucy Gets a Paris Gown"

1966

|The Lucy Show

|Model

|TV episode "Lucy and Pat Collins"

1978

|Cher... Special

|rowspan="13"|Herself

|Voice only

1979

|The Mike Douglas Show

|rowspan="2"|TV series

1980

|The Merv Griffin Show

1987

|Superstars and Their Moms

|TV movie, also co-executive producer

1999

|Behind the Music

|TV series documentary episode "Cher"

2011

|Becoming Chaz

|TV series

rowspan="7"|2013

|Entertainment Tonight

|Television infotainment series

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

|Late night comedy program (NBC-TV)

|{{Cite web |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/georgia-holt/credits/3000050087/ |title=Georgia Holt |website=TV Guide}}

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

|TV series

Good Morning America

|Morning news program (ABC-TV)

Access Hollywood

|Television infotainment series

Dear Mom, Love Cher

|TV documentary

20/20

|Weekly news program (on ABC-TV)

2013

|Sunday Morning

| Herself

|Weekly news program

2014

|RuPaul's Drag Race

| Herself/Guest Judge

| Season 6 episode 9; "Queens of Talk"

Discography

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"\| Title ! rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"\| Album details ! colspan="2"\| Peak chart positions
style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="45"\| US Country ! width="45"\| US Heat
scope="row"\| Honky Tonk Woman \| Release date: April 30, 2013 \| 43{{cite web \|title=Cher's mother Georgia Holt makes chart debut at age 86 \|date=May 10, 2013 \|work=Denver Post \|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2013/05/10/chers-mother-georgia-holt-makes-chart-debut-at-age-86/ \|access-date=December 14, 2022}} \| 13

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Title

! rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Album details

! colspan="2"| Peak chart
positions

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="45"| US Country

! width="45"| US Heat

scope="row"| Honky Tonk Woman

Release date: April 30, 2013

| 43{{cite web |title=Cher's mother Georgia Holt makes chart debut at age 86 |date=May 10, 2013 |work=Denver Post |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2013/05/10/chers-mother-georgia-holt-makes-chart-debut-at-age-86/ |access-date=December 14, 2022}}

| 13

Bibliography

{{cite book |date=1989 |title=Star Mothers – The Moms Behind the Celebrities |first1=Georgia |last1=Holt |first2=Phyllis |last2=Quinn |first3=Sue |last3=Russell |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=0-312-91540-3 }}