Elijah Blue Allman has always been notoriously private, and he is staying that way in the days following the death of his famous father, Southern rock icon Gregg Allman. The Allman Brothers Band alum died at his Georgia home late last week at age 69 after suffering from complications from liver cancer. Elijah Blue Allman, now 40 years old, is the only son of Cher and Gregg Allman.
While Cher and Gregg’s marriage was tumultuous—the “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” singer originally filed for divorce from Allman only nine days after they married due to his heavy drinking and drug use— the couple reconciled after Cher found out she was pregnant with Elijah.
The new baby brought a renewed joy to the unlikely couple’s lives.
@cher here is one that I found of you, Gregg and baby Elijah Blue pic.twitter.com/PXUdqHMCfv
— Tracy Cowart (@tracycowart1966) September 29, 2016
How Elijah Blue changed his superstar parents’ relationship
Shortly after Elijah Blue Allman’s birth in July 1976, Cher and Gregg were interviewed for a People magazine cover story. At the time, Cher praised her second husband for his then-sober lifestyle and revealed that while she had always loved her “Gregory,” it wasn’t until the birth of Elijah that she felt that their union would last. A far cry from Allman’s partying past, the singers described cozy family nights at their California home with their new bundle of joy, watching movies on cable TV.
“For the first time I feel like married people,” Cher told the celebrity gossip magazine.
Gregg Allman added that watching his son Elijah Blue’s birth was incredible. “I’m crazy about him,” the rock legend said.
A lonely upbringing
Sadly, Elijah Blue Allman didn’t have such positive things to say about his unconventional upbringing.
In a rare interview with Entertainment Tonight Online back in 2014, Elijah Blue revealed that “when you go to boarding school at 7 years old, it’s kind of hard to feel like you’re not being shunned.” Gregg and Cher’s son said he had made peace with his past, which included his own battles with drugs and addiction. Elijah also followed in his parents’ footsteps and became a musician with the band Deadsy.
#ripgreggallman @GreggAllman - here he is w/ @cher and their son Elijah Blue Allman pic.twitter.com/2cNHHNbWjL
— Michael Castner (@MichaelCastner) May 27, 2017
While Cher has posted several poignant messages and throwback photos to social media after the death of her second Gregg Allman, Elijah Blue Allman has not publicly commented on his famous father’s death. In addition, Elijah's stepbrother, Chaz Bono (Cher’s son from her first marriage to Sonny Bono) has not posted a remembrance of Gregg Allman to any of his social media pages.