Sonny Bono, the music and television star-turned-congressman whose identity will be forever linked to his ex-wife and onetime musical partner Cher, died Monday in a skiing accident at a South Lake Tahoe resort. He was 62.

\\Bono, who died of head injuries after hitting a tree while skiing at the Heavenly Ski Resort on the California-Nevada state line, had been reported missing two hours before his body was discovered at about 1 p.m. Monday, according to the Douglas County, Nev., Sheriff's Department. Police there were notified when Bono's body was found next to a tree by a member of the resort's ski patrol.

\\When Bono didn't meet his fellow vacationers at a pre-arranged time, the resort sent out the ski patrol and paged Bono at the casinos, according to Sgt. Lance Modispacher of the sheriff's department. But a two-hour search led to a grim discovery. "When the accident occurred, I would definitely say he was alone because we received no report of an accident from anyone," said Modispacher. The sheriff's department has all but ruled out foul play but is still investigating the incident.

\\Bono was skiing the trail Upper Orion, an intermediate slope characterized by wide-open, pine and fur-tree lined spaces. "He's been skiing Heavenly for 20 years and I'd have to say he was quite familiar with the terrain," said Heavenly's vice president, Jack Wagnon. "The weather was clear, the sun was out, the wind was calm -- it was really perfect ski conditions. There's really no indication at all as to what might have caused him to veer into the tree." Bono had apparently been skiing away from Orion's main "run" -- a common practice for skiers, according to Wagnon.

\\The tragedy closes Bono's eclectic -- and at one time, wildly successful -- career. He got his start working for legendary producer Phil Spector as a songwriter and backup vocalist and in 1964 co-wrote the hit "Needles and Pins" for the British pop group the Searchers. But it was with Cherilyn Sarkasian LaPier -- a k a Cher -- that his career took off.

\\Together, Sonny & Cher racked up nine Top 20 hits -- including "I Got You Babe," "Baby Don't Go" and "The Beat Goes On" -- and scored with a '70s television variety show. After divorcing Cher in 1974, and making several unsuccessful comeback at