Cher Recalls a Music Icon Stripping in Front of Her Inside the Playboy Mansion: "I Went to..."

Cher is working on a two-part memoir that will recount her legendary life, which has been so epic that one volume is insufficient. The Believe hitmaker's part one of Cher: The Memoir is releasing on November 19th, the book documents fascinating, previously unheard-of details regarding the life of the pop queen. One such strange instance that is mentioned in the book is when a famed member of the Beatles became intoxicated and stripped naked in front of her. Cher revealed that she had taken John Lennon for a 'first-time' tour of the Playboy Mansion in 1974. There Lennon exhibited an odd behavior that Cher wasn't prepared for, "I went to find a drink and when I came back they were standing in the middle of the Grotto naked but still in the water," she said. 

According to the UK Mirror, Cher remembered that on one of the well-known Sunday "movie nights," they decided to check out the notorious estate, which the Beatles singer had been wanting to see. "Sundays were much more laid-back affairs with cocktails, dinner, and the latest releases," the Strong Enough singer added. As she picked up Lennon and his friend Harry Nilsson for the night, she noticed that the men were already intoxicated.

Cher took them to the renowned "Grotto" by Hugh Hefner after they arrived. She wrote: “Giggling and falling over each other, John and Harry followed me out into the grounds. Sitting them down inside the infamous Grotto - it was like a huge cave that one end of the swimming pool went into.” When she returned with drinks they had stripped and were naked in the water. The renowned grotto, which has glass walls and an integrated bar, had gained a reputation among the regular A-listers. 

Cher remembered that Lennon and his companion threatened to emerge from the water naked after she chastised them for their irresponsible behavior. “I was trying not to laugh, but it was impossible not to as they threatened to wander around the mansion naked. It took me ages to get them back in their clothes. It was like herding drunks," she wrote. Cher claimed that she frequently went to the Playboy Mansion and that her daughter Chastity, who is now Chaz, was five years old when she first met Hefner. 

The Playboy owner purchased the renowned California house in 1971 and resided there until he died in 2017 at the age of 91. It gained notoriety for hosting A-list events that drew a wide range of well-known people. He reportedly reached an agreement with the City of Los Angeles in 2018 that prevented the property from being demolished. Following Hefner's passing, the 29-bedroom house was sold to investor Dean Metropoulos. As per The Wrap, Hefner's neighbor, Metropoulos, a former co-owner and co-CEO of Pabst Brewing Company and current co-owner of Hostess Brands, paid $100 million in August 2016 for the property. “I feel fortunate and privileged to now own a one-of-a-kind piece of history and art,” Metropoulos said.