The Tragic Story Of Cher's Son Elijah Blue Allman

Growing up in a celebrity household may sound like a dream come true, but Hollywood is full of cautionary tales about children of the rich and famous who end up in rehab, jail, or worse. True, it's a life filled with perks and privileges, but there are perils and pitfalls, too. Just ask Elijah Blue Allman, son of iconic singer Cher and rocker Gregg Allman. He is the latest celebrity offspring making headlines for his mental health issues and struggles with addiction to alcohol and drugs, including heroin. Allman has struggled with these issues for the majority of his life and has checked into rehab multiple times but has continued to return to his old ways. Recently, his behaviors have escalated, causing his legendary mother to file for a conservatorship of her youngest son to protect his assets.

So, what caused this adorable, towheaded little boy to grow into a man who turned to hard drugs and self-destructive behaviors? Perhaps it's genetic. Allman's late father was a notorious hard-partying rock star who used drugs. Maybe his sad relationship with his iconic mom, Cher, contributed to his issues. Or, maybe it was his unusual upbringing. In a 2014 interview with Entertainment Tonight, he shared, "It wasn't like a sex drugs and rock and roll household, but you know there were a lot of big parties and there was an era for that," he said. Whatever the reason, Allman's story is yet another tragic Hollywood tale. 

After splitting from Elijah Bue Allman's father, Cher found herself trying to parent two kids, manage her demanding career, and juggle an active dating life that included Val Kilmer, Tom Cruise, and Gene Simmons, to name a few. In what one can only assume was an attempt to provide some stability in her young son's life, Cher sent Allman to boarding school when he was just 7 years old. Though the decision may have seemed to be the right one at the time, it unfortunately had a detrimental effect on Allman, who told Entertainment Tonight in 2014, "When you go to boarding school at 7 years old, it's kind of hard to feel like you're not being shunned." He added: "But I'm at an age where I'm making peace with it because you just have to. But I still ... it doesn't mean it's right. It's still wrong to do that."

Allman bounced from school to school over the course of his academic career, once landing at a military school for a year as a form of punishment by his mother for his school shenanigans. While time away from his family may have contributed to his strained relationships with them, Allman does credit boarding school for giving him some perspective on celebrity life and all its superficiality. As he told the Daily Mail in 2014, "Superstars are a difficult and unique breed." 

Elijah Blue Allman is the only child of Cher and Gregg Allman, but he isn't the only child in the family. Those old enough to remember "The Sonny and Cher Show" might recall an adorable little blond girl named Chastity, the only child of Cher and Sonny Bono. Chastity was 7 years old when Allman was born, and according to Cher in a 1976 People interview, the little girl was "reconciled to her baby half brother." While that doesn't sound like a lot of sisterly love, the two eventually enjoyed a bond for a few years until life sent them down separate paths that included different East Coast schools. Allman says the physical distance contributed to an emotional distance as well. As he told Entertainment Tonight, "[W]e kind of grew apart when we started going to different schools and just not being geographically around each other."

Then there's the fact that Allman's half sister became his half brother. Chastity Bono transitioned to Chaz Bono, legally changing his name and gender and undergoing chest surgery to remove his breasts in 2009. Although little has been said about Allman's reaction to the news or the subsequent award-winning documentary "Becoming Chaz," in a 2014 interview (via the Daily Mail), Allman described their relationship as "rocky" and said they weren't on speaking terms, adding, "For me, the most important thing is that people should be happy in their own right, whatever that means." 

Cher might make the VIP list everywhere she goes, but she didn't make the cut at son Elijah Blue Allman's wedding to Marieangela "Queenie" King, lead vocalist for the rock band King. The couple, who met on a blind date in Cologne, Germany, eloped in 2013 without the "Believe" singer in attendance because she failed to acknowledge their engagement. "I wasn't going to wait for anyone's approval and congratulations just like I've never waited for any of that my whole life," Allman told the Daily Mail. Cher then excluded them from her family Christmas celebration, although Allman said it was a misunderstanding rather than a formal diss.

The self-described "black sheep" of his family, Allman and his fiancée had been staying with Cher since their return to the States, but as tensions grew, they found a home of their own, which is where they tied the knot surrounded by their closest friends. The incident served to deepen a rift between mother and son that has raged off and on for years. "It's like a Mexican standoff, but we have a history [of not talking]," Allman told the Daily Mail. For her part, the megastar once told Robin McGraw on "Dr. Phil" (via People) that being a mother didn't always "mix well" with her career. She also expressed regret over not providing her sons with more "stability" as they were growing up. If only she could "Turn Back Time."

He may have been too young to remember their tumultuous relationship, but Elijah Blue Allman's marriage to Marieangela King closely mirrored that of his famous parents, from the drug use to the on again, off again petitions for divorce. Allman and King were married in 2013, and even though it caused yet another dent in his damaged relationship with his mother, Allman seemed happy, telling the Daily Mail that King was "the love of [his] life" and detailing that they were happy just staying home watching TV together. 

The honeymoon phase didn't last, however. By 2020, the couple had separated, and Allman filed for divorce the following year. But like his parents before him, Allman decided to give it another go, and he and King reunited in 2022 to try and resolve their issues. Their attempt was foiled by yet another strange story involving Allman getting whisked away in an alleged kidnapping incident staged by his mother (more on that below). King filed for a continuance for their divorce trial, asking for the date to be moved until things were sorted out. However, in the aftermath of Cher filing a petition for a conservatorship of her son, Allman has filed to dismiss the divorce entirely. Whether that's a coincidence or a calculated move remains to be seen, but a spokesperson for King claimed to USA Today that "[t]he couple have been working on their marriage and have reconciled." 

Many of Hollywood's most notable names have found themselves at the Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard. It's a place known for housing actors who have something to hide or who are looking for something to hide. Perhaps most famously, it was the place where John Belushi overdosed in a bungalow, Jim Morrison jumped off a balcony, and parties and scandal abound. And, for several months in 2023, while he was estranged from his wife, it was what Elijah Blue Allman called home. As one staff member at the famous hotel told the Daily Mail, "Virtually every morning and afternoon Elijah could be seen in front of the hotel on the sidewalk either leaning against the wall or sitting on the sidewalk smoking," adding that he looked "strung out" and "messy." 

The staff shared their concerns with Allman's mother, who had hired a caretaker (albeit unsuccessfully) to keep an eye on her son. In September 2023, hotel staff found Allman unconscious in front of the property. Not long after, he was removed from the landmark hotel by police and readmitted to rehab. In an effort to protect her youngest son, who was clearly struggling, Cher filed for a conservatorship by the end of the year.