When Cher, 71, learned of Southern rocker Gregg Allman's death at the age of 69 on Saturday, she took to Twitter to share a short but heartbreaking message to her ex-husband. "I'VE TRIED… WORDS ARE IMPOSSIBLE GUI GUI 💔," she wrote, referring to Allman by his pet name, and signing it "FOREVER, CHOOCH 💋."
She followed up by posting a photo of herself and Allman from the '70s, writing "never forget … gui."
It was the final chapter in the music icons' bittersweet love story.
When they met in January 1975, it was a tumultuous and transitional time for both the glamorous pop star and the hard-partying rocker. Cher was in the midst of a messy divorce and custody battle with first husband Sonny Bono, after walking away from their hit CBS show The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour the year before; Allman was fighting an increasingly destructive drug habit (not to mention he was involved in an ongoing DEA investigation against a former road manager, according to Rolling Stone).
[asset removed due to syndication rights]But when they laid eyes on each other for the first time backstage at one of his solo shows in L.A. their physical chemistry was undeniable. "She smelled like I would imagine a mermaid would smell—I've never smelled it since, and I'll never forget it," Allman wrote in his memoir, My Cross to Bear. Cher was at the concert on a date with record mogul David Geffen; Allman wrote that when he walked up to them "I was so rude; I didn't say hello or nothing at all, because I was so blinded by her." Nevertheless, Cher gave Allman her number and he called her the next day.
[asset removed due to syndication rights]According to his memoir, they had one of the worst first dates of all time (it ended with him passing out after shooting heroin), but their second date, to a disco club, went a bit smoother. "I don't know how to dance, but I got drunk enough to where I did," he wrote. "This is when disco was just taking off, so we did some dirty dancing. She had one drink, while I had my 21, of course. When we got back to her place, she took me out to her rose garden, and all the roses were just starting to bloom…We made some serious love!"
[asset removed due to syndication rights]On June 30, 1975, just three days after her divorce from Bono was finalized, Cher, then 29, and Allman, then 27, jetted off to Las Vegas to get hitched. Nine days later, the raven-haired beauty filed to dissolve the union, after becoming overwhelmed by Allman's heroin and alcohol abuse. But Allman was able to get his act together and the unlikely couple found a way to reconcile less than a month later. Still, their relationship problems continued, hitting a fever pitch when Cher decided to reteam with Bono for a new Sonny and Cher Show in 1976. This time around, Allman filed for divorce, but decided not to go through with it when he found out Cher was pregnant with their son Elijah Blue, who was born in July 1976 (now 40, he has admitted in recent years to experiencing a rough childhood).
In September 1976, the new family posed for an optimistic People cover story, with Cher saying, "Gregory has stopped drinking and has stopped doing any kind of drugs... I've always loved Gregory, but until now, I never felt it was going to last. For the first time I feel like married people." The two also collaborated musically, under the name Allman and Woman, releasing their debut (and only) album Two the Hard Way in 1977 (unfortunately, it was widely panned by critics and fans alike).
[asset removed due to syndication rights]But the momentary wedded bliss wasn't meant to last — Cher and Allman broke up (both musically and romantically) for good when Cher filed for legal separation in 1977; they were officially divorced by January 1979. "There was no future for us because she has that constant paranoia of [my] going back to alcohol," Allman once said, according to Entertainment Weekly. After the divorce, Cher penned the tune "My Song (Too Far Gone)" for Allman. "Now he's too far gone to hold me, too far gone doesn't want to know me, too far gone and he doesn't really know, no he'll never get to know his son," she sings in the chorus.
But despite the tabloid-worthy drama, Cher maintained that Allman made her happy. "Nobody ever made me feel as happy as Gregory did... he's wonderful. I don't understand why he can't see it. He's the kindest, most gentle, loving husband and father. But then, he forgets and everything goes to sh*t," she told People in 1978.
Lauren (she/her) is the digital content director of the Hearst Lifestyle Group, where she oversees online content and strategy for Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day and other Hearst titles, including SEO, video, social media and e-commerce efforts. She has almost 20 years of experience writing and editing beauty, lifestyle, home, health, entertainment and product review content. She graduated from NYU with a degree in journalism and history.
