Cher’s Family Tree Unpacked: From Rock Royalty to Reality Check
Meet Cher’s clan: a dynasty that makes your average sitcom family look like amateur hour. At 79, Cher has navigated love affairs, marriages, divorces and an ever-expanding brood without so much as a scripted reality show. Her only child with 1960s pop powerhouse Sonny Bono is Chaz Bono, the trailblazing advocate who transitioned publicly in 2009 and remains one of Cher’s most outspoken champions. Every third line gets a roast, right? Brace yourself—Chaz’s family has more twists than a pretzel factory.
Cher’s second marriage to Southern rock legend Gregg Allman produced Elijah Blue Allman, a 48-year-old musician with a history of substance battles that spilled into public view. About a year and a half ago, Cher quietly explored a conservatorship to help manage Elijah’s affairs—an idea probably inspired by watching other celebrity families juggle legal guardianship drama. Three cheers for famous moms! Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department responded to a June 14 call in Landers, California, about “a male subject acting erratically,” discovered illicit substances in the house, and escorted Elijah to the hospital. Roasting moment: who needs Netflix when your family reunions come with flashing sirens?
Elijah’s estranged wife, Marieangela King Allman, told People that despite headlines, he’s been “unwavering in his commitment to sobriety.” She filed for divorce in 2021 but still defended his tenacity—because even rock scions deserve a redemption arc. Elijah himself admitted to Entertainment Tonight that his drug story started around age 11 with marijuana and ecstasy, then morphed into harder escapes. Sober since 2008, he ironically sounds more stable than some of Cher’s exes.
Irony alert: Cher and Gregg’s whirlwind romance ended when heroin took center stage, as she candidly told USA Today. “He was this amazing man who happened to be a heroin addict,” she quipped, proving she has a gift for understatement. Cher insisted hard drugs were “boring” and once soberly asked her doctor, “Can you die from a hangover?” Spoiler: Yes.
Gregg Allman passed away from liver cancer complications in 2017, leaving Cher with memories of late-night guitar serenades and a potent reminder that rock royalty often comes with a backstage of heartbreak. Meanwhile, Cher’s first husband Sonny Bono fathered Chaz, and Gregg’s side of the clan adds four half-siblings on Elijah’s roster—because yes, everything’s bigger in the Allman family.
On top of romantic odysseys with Warren Beatty, Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, Cher’s real-life soap opera began at home. Her mom, Georgia Holt, married seven times (twice to Cher’s dad John Sarkisian) and taught Cher that marriage can be a DIY obstacle course. Cher even wrote in her 2024 memoir that her mother believed safety lived in vows—while Cher mostly remembers a revolving door of stepfathers she barely noticed.
And there you have it: an iconic singer whose family tree includes rock legends, advocacy pioneers, public meltdowns and more marriages than a Hollywood registry. Let’s pretend we learned something today. Tune in next time for more bad decisions and questionable life choices.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online, People Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, USA Today, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department statement
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
