Cher was a big name throughout the world in 1975, having risen to fame as one-half of the renowned duo Sonny and Cher.
Cher had been in a tight connection with Sonny Bono since she was 16, and he brought her to the music industry, where they created a successful singing collaboration. They married informally on October 27, 1964, in Tijuana, Mexico, before marrying officially on March 4, 1969, after the birth of their son Chaz Bono.
However, the marriage remained rocky until 1974, when Sonny filed for divorce, which Cher responded to by suing for separation.
Of course, many forget that Cher will always be recognized as half of Sonny and Cher, the couple famed for “I Got You Babe” and their many shows. So, when Sonny and Cher divorced, music lovers felt as though they had lost a piece of their youth. Cher’s marriage to Gregg Allman was a very another animal. While Sonny and Cher gained success together, Gregg and Cher appeared to be on the verge of ruining their respective careers.
On paper, their marriage seemed bizarre — she’s a pop diva, he’s a southern rocker — yet there was genuine love between these two. Sadly, their marriage did not endure. Cher filed the divorce merely nine days after they married, but they stuck it out for three more years, producing an album that no one loved, having a kid, and becoming one of the hottest couples of the 1970s. With these two, it’s a wild journey.
Cher, then 29, and Allman, then 27, married in Las Vegas on June 30, 1975, only 3 days after her divorce from Bono formalized. After becoming engulfed by Allman’s heroin and alcohol addiction, the raven-haired beauty filed for divorce nine days later. But Allman could pull himself together, and the odd pair reconciled less than a month later. Their relationship issues persisted, reaching a boiling point when Cher reunited with Bono for a brand new Sonny and Cher Show in ’76. Now, Allman filed for divorce but chose not to proceed when he discovered Cher was pregnant with their son Elijah Blue.
Cher had a 2-year love engagement with record mogul David Geffen, with whom she also had a close professional tie before the divorce was completed. The world was astonished, however, when Cher, 29, married 27-year-old Rocker Gregg Allman on June 30, 1975, only four days after her divorce from Sonny. The new couple first met in Los Angeles, where Allman was taken aback by Cher, who he later described as “smelling like I would imagine a mermaid would smell.” Their first date, however, did not go well because Allman passed out in the toilet from heroin use.
Cher had given him another opportunity, and they had made it work.
After a whirlwind courtship, she flew to Las Vegas for a fast wedding to the wild rock star. However, the marriage lasted barely 10 days until Cher filed for divorce owing to her inability to cope with Gregg’s heroin and drinking addictions, which were also causing a schism between him and his bandmates.
Gregg persuaded Cher to give their marriage another chance a month later after cleaning up his act and kicking his old habits. Their problems intensified when Cher joined forces with her ex-husband Sonny for The Sonny and Cher Show, which proved to be a trying-to experience for Allman. He was so upset that he filed for divorce.
Gregg changed his decision after learning that Cher was expecting his son, Elijah Blue Allman.
Unfortunately, their reunion did not last long, as they attempted to release their own album and tour together. Their fans clashed at their live shows, the 1977 album was panned, and Allman’s addiction issues persisted. But the honeymoon period was short-lived, Cher and Allman split up (both musically and romantically) when Cher filed for legal separation in 1977, and they were officially divorced in January 1979.
Cher Remembers Her Ex-Husband Gregg Allman
Remembering the odd romance of a pop icon and a Southern rock pioneer who met while negotiating career upheavals in the 1970s
When word emerged that Gregg Allman, the great Southern rock pioneer, had died, his famous ex-wife Cher tweeted a brief but touching tribute, utilizing their old pet names for one other.
Cher and Gregg Allman met, married, divorced, remarried, had a kid, and recorded an album together titled Two the Hard Way between 1975 and 1977. The audience was bewildered by the unusual coupling of a polished, recently unmarried pop star and an untamed southern rocker. However, their collaboration occurred in a mutually transitional phase in which both musicians sought to remake themselves in the coming decade.