Alright, here are some clues that won't give it away immediately.

1. Born in Detroit in 1935
2. Did not graduate from high school but went on to become a very successful singer, record producer, actor, and politician.
3. Died in a skiing accident in 1998.
4. Mayor of a resort city in California before his death.

That's it for this set of clues. I have two more sets of clues, and if the next set doesn't give it away, I know the last set will.

You don't have to feel bad because I didn't recognize his statue either, and I was face to face with it. I had to read the inscription, and then it was so plain.

Well I guess I gave up too many clues in my previous comment. Yes, it is Sonny Bono. The statue is in the heart of downtown Palm Springs, where all the action is.

My next clue was going to be "And the beat goes on," because that's what is inscribed on his gravestone.

Of course, my last clue would have been something like _____ & Cher, or one of Cher's husbands, or maybe "I Got You Babe."