Tragic Details About Cher's Son Elijah Blue Allman

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The following article includes mention of drug use. 

One may assume that being the child of one of the most endearing names in music would come with a ton of perks, but in Elijah Blue Allman's case, that hasn't stopped him from experiencing a ton of heartache. From familial strife to health issues and even marital woes, he's gone through a lot — and given just how famous his mother is, he's done a lot of it in the public eye. 

We'll start with the first heartbreak he had to endure: his parents' marriage falling apart. Cher has long been open about the relationship being doomed almost from the start. As she revealed in "Cher: The Memoir — Part One," her and Gregg Allman's marriage had really only happened because she was pregnant with Elijah. Heartbreakingly, their honeymoon period was anything but sweet; they faced a ton of challenges throughout the pregnancy, with Cher coming to terms with the full extent of Gregg's drug use. Even so, he went to rehab on a few occasions, and she attempted to make it work. 

Sadly, it wasn't to be, and Cher shared that a terrifying moment was the reason she and Gregg got divorced. "Gregory had a paranoid breakdown one night and insisted he saw men with guns in the backyard ... It only happened once, but I couldn't risk it," she wrote (via Us Weekly). Her heartbreaking 1979 release "My Song (Too Far Gone)" delved into the situation, with the chorus ending, "He'll never get to know his son." Elijah hasn't gone into great depth about how that strife in his early years affected him, but in a 2014 interview, he did admit to loving being around Cher's subsequent boyfriends. "I was lucky to have them in my life because my dad wasn't around," he said (via the Daily Mail).

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Sadly, growing up away from his father didn't stop Elijah Blue Allman from using drugs. Quite the contrary, he shared in a 2014 interview with ET that he'd used a number of substances — and that he'd done so from a very early age. 

"I started with drugs around the same time that we all did, around 11. I mean it's just what you did, it's just what everybody did," he told the outlet. Though at that time he was mostly using substances like ecstasy and marijuana, at some point after finishing high school, he began using heroin. Allman explained that he turned to the dangerous drug because he wanted to "escape all the things in my past." A heartbreaking sentiment no doubt, considering how young he'd been at the time. Allman also shared that there had been instances where he feared for his life after using drugs. "I always kind of kept it a little bit safe but you can never do that. Even though you think that in your mind, of course the wrong things can happen," he mused. 

By the time of his interview with ET, Allman said that he had been clean for several years. However, he later began using again after the pandemic, prompting some very drastic moves on Cher's side — but we'll get into that later.

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We've said it before and we'll say it again: more celebrities suffer from Lyme disease than you think. Sadly for Elijah Blue Allman, he is one of the many famous faces to live with the health condition. And, adding yet another tragic detail to his life, he's spoken about it being one of the most difficult challenges he's faced. 

Per the Daily Mail, Allman shared that it took countless tests for him to be diagnosed. Even once he had been, though, he faced a long road to recovery. At one point, he tried to go for a more natural approach as he didn't believe Western medicine was working — but that had horrific results, too. Speaking of his reaction to a cleanse, he shared, "I felt probably the closest to death I've ever been. It's like my life force was just being drained out of the bottom of my feet." Allman ultimately had to be taken to the ICU, where he was kept for a whopping two weeks. Unfortunately, he was still feeling the effects of the disease, and he turned to a very high-end German clinic (for the second time) in 2010. Some of the treatments he had there included stem cell shots and artificial fevers. However, even those couldn't help. It's no surprise, then, that when comparing his experience with Lyme disease to his addictions in an interview with ET, he summed it up as "so much darker." Making matters worse, he told the Daily Mail that even though Cher was supportive in some ways, he also got the sense that she didn't quite believe his health was really as bad as it was. 

Allman ultimately felt better once he'd tried yet another form of alternative medicine while living in Cologne — and then he met his wife. 

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Elijah Blue Allman may have met his now-wife as his health reached a turning point for the better, but that's not to say everything was rosy. Quite the opposite, as Cher made it clear that she wasn't a fan of his relationship with Marieangela King after Allman had proposed. Allman's response? Eloping, anyway. Speaking to the Daily Mail of the decision, he explained, "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. The way I eloped with my wife is the same way I've done everything I've ever done." Sadly, even when they were married, Cher refused to acknowledge their union.

In addition to Cher not saying anything about Allman marrying King, she also didn't invite them to spend Christmas with the rest of the family. Granted, Allman did point out that they hadn't been told they weren't welcome. However, he and his new bride also didn't receive an invite — something he found especially hurtful since he loves the holiday. "I'm a real big Christmas guy," he told the outlet, adding that being a newlywed only made him want to be around family even more. 

For King, there was an added layer of hurt. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she shared that the very first time she met her now-mother-in-law had been on Christmas Day a few years prior. What's more, she told the outlet that at some point later on, Cher had told her that seeing her that Christmas was all she'd needed to know that King and Allman would be married one day. Oh, how things change. 

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Somewhere between the time Elijah Blue Allman and Marieangela King got married and early 2020, it seems as though Cher's relationship with her youngest son and his wife improved. This, after King told the Daily Mail that they'd moved in with her at the start of the pandemic. However, the familial harmony proved short-lived, with the couple feeling as though Cher was too strict. "It was a very fearful house and it wasn't really my cup of tea, but Cher took the view that it was her house so it was her rules," King said. TBH, Cher was in her seventies, and it was her house, so we certainly can't fault her for setting boundaries. Having said that, once the couple moved out, things took a very dark turn. 

As soon as King was allowed to, she traveled to Europe to see her family. Heartbreakingly, Allman relapsed during that time and had to be hospitalized. That would be devastating in itself, but King shared that she felt as though Cher blamed her for it. That wasn't all, though. King also claimed that Cher wouldn't tell her which hospital Allman was in and prohibited staff from letting her see him. 

Things went from bad to worse when Allman was eventually released and King received divorce papers. However, she told the Daily Mail that right from the start she believed it was her mother-in-law who had orchestrated the divorce, and she and Allman subsequently decided to try and work on their marriage. Unfortunately for the couple, though, the situation was far from over. 

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Speaking to the Daily Mail, Marieangela King claimed that while she and Elijah Blue Allman were trying to reconcile, the latter was kidnapped and taken to a rehab facility. As seen in documents accessed by People, King claimed that one of the men who was involved in the kidnapping told her they'd been contracted by Cher. In an interview with the New York Post, Cher denied that was the case. Granted, said denial was a little eyebrow-raising. "I didn't do it, and if I did it, I wouldn't say I did it. You never stop being a mom — you go to the end, you go to the mattresses when you're trying to save your children. But I didn't do it. And if I did it, I wouldn't care to tell you," she told the outlet. Dare we name that one of Cher's shadiest moments? 

Other than the kidnapping claims, Cher later became embroiled in a fiery legal battle with Allman, with the former seeking to have her son placed in a conservatorship, which she would have control over. Per People, the presiding judge ultimately denied Cher's request, noting that even with Allman's history of poor mental health and drug use, he'd passed each of the drug tests submitted. 

Even so, the judge acknowledged that they could see that Cher's attempts had come from a place of love. "I don't question Cher's concerns being driven by concern from her son. I don't think [Allman] questions that," they said. Sure enough, Allman's attorneys said of the matter in a statement, "This outcome allows the parties to focus on healing and rebuilding their family bond, a process that began during mediation and continues today" (via Entertainment Weekly). Here's hoping for healing all round. 

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).