‘Mom is gone’: Cher’s mother, singer and actor Georgia Holt, dies aged 96

Cher has confirmed the death of her mother, Georgia Holt, aged 96.

The singer, 76, shared the news on social media, tweeting “mom is gone” with a sad-face emoji.

Holt had been admitted to hospital with pneumonia and had been suffering from recurring health issues, Cher shared in September.

“Sorry I’ve been MIA. Mom’s been sick off and on. She just got out of [hospital]. She had pneumonia. She’s getting better,” wrote the “Believe” singer on 9 September.

She thanked her fans for their prayers the following day, adding that “home is the best medicine” for her mother and “she’s getting better”.

Fans of the singer and her mother took to social media to share their condolences.

“I’m so very sorry to hear that your beloved mother has passed. My heart goes out to you. What a blessing to have had her in your life for as long as you did,” wrote one fan on Twitter.

“Sending you nothing but love, light, and healing. She was a firecracker, and she will be so deeply missed,” shared another.

“I’m so, so sorry. Sending you and your sister much love,” wrote another.

Holt, born in 1926, was a singer-songwriter as well as a model and actor. She famously appeared in the hit sitcom I Love Lucy.

She leaves behind two children, Cher – real name, Cherilyn Sarkisian – her sister, Georganne LaPiere, and partner of 46 years, Craig Spence.