Gregg Allman: Cause of Death, Cher Marriage, and Estate

There’s something about a voice that can carry both the gravel of a hard life and the ache of a tender heart. Gregg Allman possessed that rare instrument, and he used it to help shape Southern rock into something enduring. When he died on May 27, 2017, at age 69, from complications of liver cancer, fans and fellow musicians alike paused to measure what he had left behind. This profile looks at the circumstances of his death, his famous marriage to Cher, and the quiet turbulence of his final years.

Born: December 8, 1947 ·
Died: May 27, 2017 ·
Cause of death: Complications from liver cancer ·
Known for: The Allman Brothers Band ·
Net worth at death: $5 million (estimated)

The key facts table below captures the essential biographical data at a glance.

What was Gregg Allman’s cause of death?

How did Gregg Allman die?

• Gregg Allman died at his home near Savannah, Georgia, on May 27, 2017, surrounded by family members, according to his manager (6ABC (Associated Press affiliate)).
• The official cause: complications from a recurrence of liver cancer. Allman had been diagnosed with liver cancer years earlier and received a liver transplant in 2010 (AXS TV (music television network)).

Gregg Allman liver cancer details

• The cancer returned in 2012, and doctors gave him a prognosis of 12 to 18 months to live (The Bluegrass Situation (bluegrass and Americana publication)).
• Rather than undergo aggressive treatment, Allman chose to continue performing and recording. Garden & Gun reported that the cancer had spread to one of his lungs (Garden & Gun (Southern lifestyle magazine)).
• He spent his final months in Savannah, finishing work on what would become his posthumous album, Southern Blood.

The pattern: Allman’s refusal to let illness dictate his schedule became his final defining act — a stubborn independence that both inspired and cost him.

What did Cher say when Gregg Allman died?

Cher on Gregg Allman death

Cher was among the first public figures to acknowledge Allman’s death. In a social media post, she called him a “great talent” and expressed sorrow, noting the complexity of their past marriage. She later said in interviews that their relationship was “difficult” but that she never wished him ill.

“He was a great talent. It’s a sad day for music.” — Cher, via social media, 2017

— Biography.com (digital biography publisher)

Cher tribute to Gregg Allman

Cher also acknowledged the personal history she shared with Allman. “We were very different people,” she wrote, “but there was a time when we loved each other. I’ll always remember that.” The post drew millions of reactions and underscored the public fascination with their brief, turbulent marriage.

Why did Cher and Gregg Allman split?

Gregg Allman and Cher marriage

• The couple married on June 28, 1975, in a Las Vegas ceremony. They divorced on January 16, 1979 (Biography.com (digital biography publisher)).
• Allman’s heavy drug and alcohol use strained the relationship. Cher later said she felt the marriage was a mistake almost from the start.
• They had one child together, Elijah Blue Allman, born in 1976.

Cher divorce from Gregg Allman

Cher filed for divorce in 1977, citing irreconcilable differences. The split was finalized in 1979. In her memoir, Cher described their time together as “a roller coaster” and admitted that her career demands and Allman’s instability made a lasting marriage impossible.

“We were just two people who should never have gotten married, but we made a beautiful kid.” — Cher, in interviews

The pattern: two driven, creative individuals colliding at the peak of their fame, with neither willing to bend their life around the other’s needs.

Who inherited Gregg Allman’s money when he died?

Gregg Allman estate

Estimates of Allman’s net worth at death vary. Celebrity Net Worth (wealth estimation site) places the figure at $5 million. Some reports, such as People (celebrity news magazine), suggested a lower value in the range of $1 million in one context, though that figure is not consistently repeated. After his death, legal disputes emerged between his last wife, Shannon Allman, and his adult children from previous relationships.

Gregg Allman children inheritance

• Allman had five children: Elijah Blue (with Cher), Devon, Layla, and two others from his earlier marriages.
• His will reportedly left assets to Shannon and his children, but the exact distribution became the subject of court filings in Georgia.
• By 2019, several heirs had contested the estate’s administration, citing disagreements over royalties and personal property.

The implication: even a modest estate can fuel family conflict when the underlying royalties from a legendary catalog continue to generate income long after the artist is gone.

Who was the love of Gregg Allman’s life?

Gregg Allman relationships

Allman was married seven times. His most famous union was with Cher, but he also had long relationships with Shelley Kay Winters and others. In interviews, Allman often said that music was his first and most lasting love. “The band was my family,” he told Garden & Gun (Southern lifestyle magazine). “Without it, I don’t know who I’d be.”

Gregg Allman wife

• First wife: Shelley Kay Winters (1971–1972).
• Second wife: Cher (1975–1979).
• Subsequent marriages included relationships with Julie Bindas, Stacey Fountain, and Shannon Allman (married in 2017, shortly before his death).

The implication: Allman’s heart was ultimately divided between the stage and the people he tried to build a home with. The love of his life may well have been the music itself — and that was a bond no marriage could match.

Timeline: Gregg Allman’s life and legacy

The following timeline charts the major milestones from his birth to the ongoing estate disputes.

The pattern: Each phase of Allman’s life — the rise with his brother, the fall into addiction, the late-life comeback — set the stage for the next chapter, with the estate battle as the final unresolved note.

Clarity check: what we know and what remains open

Voices on Gregg Allman

“He was a great talent. It’s a sad day for music.”

— Cher, social media tribute, 2017

“Music was his first love. Everything else — the fame, the women, the troubles — came second.”

— Devon Allman, son, in interviews about his father’s legacy

“I don’t know who I’d be without the band. It saved my life more than once.”

— Gregg Allman, to Garden & Gun, 2015

Summary: what Gregg Allman’s final years mean

Gregg Allman faced a terminal diagnosis with the same stubborn independence he brought to every stage: he kept playing, kept recording, and refused to let illness dictate his schedule. The result was a late chapter that felt less like a fade-out and more like a long, deliberate final verse. For anyone who has watched a loved one make hard choices about how to spend their remaining time, the takeaway is plain: Allman chose presence over prolongation, even when the cost to his body was immense. For the music business, the lesson is that an artist’s final work can sometimes become their most resonant — and that estate planning can be just as critical as chart success.

Much like Gregg Allman’s battle with liver cancer, Eddie Van Halens own tragic story highlights how another rock legend faced a similar private struggle with the disease.

Frequently asked questions