NEWSCher Blames Ex-Husband Gregg Allman's Addiction as Reason Short-Lived Marriage Only Lasted 9 Days: 'It Wasn't Safe for My Kids'
Cher and Gregg Allman were married for only nine days before the singer filed for divorce in 1975.
Cher dug up the past in her recently released memoir.
In her book, titled Cher: The Memoir, Part One, the famed singer, 78, opened up about her short-lived marriage to Gregg Allman — which lasted only nine days before the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again actress filed for divorce from the late star.
"I didn’t know whether my relationship with Gregory would last or not. I was living each day as it came," she recalled of her 1975 romance with Allman. "Then I found out I was pregnant, and we decided to get married."
At the time, Cher was already a mother to her son Chaz Bono, whom she shared with her ex-husband Sonny Bono.
Gregg Allman died of liver cancer at age 69 in 2017 as a result of addiction.
After realizing she was pregnant with her second child, Cher said her and Gregg's marriage was quickly "arranged within a few days."
Two of her friends joined the "Believe" singer in Las Vegas for a ceremony that was "over in minutes." The newlyweds posed for photos before flying "straight back home," she penned in her memoir, which hit shelves on Tuesday, November 19.
"I was no longer Cher Bono but Cher Allman, Gregory’s third wife," she detailed. "There was little about our wedding day that was romantic. There would be no honeymoon."
The pair's marriage lasted less than two weeks before Cher discovered a "plastic bag full of white powder" in Gregg's Dopp kit.
The late singer's substance abuse issues were a main reason for his and Cher's marital demise.
Cher had searched his things due to concerns regarding Gregg's addiction battle. Finding the substance was the last straw for the "After All" hitmaker, as the husband and wife had a baby on the way, and Chaz — who transitioned in 2008 — was still a young child.
One day, the Moonstruck actress went to the doctor for a checkup and later was informed by several friends that the "Whipping Post" singer — who died from liver cancer at age 69 in 2017 — was planning on divorcing her.
When confronted about the matter, Gregg "lied and denied it," however, Cher pulled the trigger on their marriage and filed for divorce the very next day.
As a result of their split, Gregg checked into rehab, leaving Cher to turn to her ex Sonny, who remained the Burlesque star's friend after their divorce.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Cher gave Gregg Allman a second chance before officially finalizing their divorce in 1979.
Sonny encouraged Cher to pay a visit to Gregg in rehab, where she joined him for a therapy session and learned her then-estranged husband was feeling "pressure to be Mr. Cher."
The heart-to-heart briefly mended their relationship, with the pair proceeding to travel to Jamaica for a "belated honeymoon."
Things weren't any better at the tropical destination, however, as Cher caught Gregg drinking rum. The alcoholic beverage caused a heated argument between the two, causing the "If I Could Turn Back Time" singer to ditch the vacation early.
Once home, Cher found out Gregg was also addicted to heroin and ordered him to check back into therapy before their newborn arrived.
Gregg Allman shared his son Elijah with Cher.
"I don’t remember what date I’d chosen exactly. It was something arbitrary," she explained of her ultimatum. "I had had it with us repeating the same pattern again and again, and had told him over the phone, 'I’m just so tired of doing this, Gregory. I’m so tired of going to rehab with you.' He was quiet on the other end of the line. 'But I keep going,' he said softly. His answer stopped me in my tracks, because it was true. He kept going to rehab, kept trying to get clean, kept making an effort despite failing in the past. In that moment, instead of thinking of my own exhaustion, I empathized with him."
Cher and Gregg eventually welcomed their son, Elijah, in 1976. After bringing their baby home, the "I'm No Angel" singer started acting strangely, leaving the mom-of-two concerned about whether her kids were safe and sound.
"'That point came soon after, when Gregory had a paranoid breakdown one night and insisted he saw men with guns in the backyard. 'This is the last straw,' I thought," she wrote. "Whatever he is now, it’s not safe for kids. It only happened once, but I couldn’t risk it."
The exes ultimately split for a second time and finalized their divorce in 1979.
