Back to Rock the Vote: 20 Musicians Turned Politicians

Sonny Bono

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Dismayed by the amount of bureaucracy involved in his attempt to open a restaurant, the singer, songwriter and one half of Sonny and Cher -- not to mention Red Hot Chili Pepper Anthony Kiedis's godfather -- successfully ran for mayor of Palm Springs in 1988. At the end of his four-year term, during which he established the popular Palm Springs International Film Festival, he ran for a senate nomination and lost. Not to be deterred, Bono turned his attentions to the California congress and was elected in 1994, where he championed environmental and copyright issues until his untimely death in 1998. His wife Mary was elected to fill the remainder of his term.