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Cher and son Elijah Blue agree to temporarily suspend guardianship

Cher's family drama through the years – alleged kidnappings, divorces, relationships and more1

Cher, Elijah Blue Allman, Chaz Bono Harry Langdon/Getty Images

Cher has had a long and successful career – but not without personal dramas.

The Grammy winner left high school in 1962 to focus on her music and soon met Sonny Bono. After falling in love – and enjoying musical success together – the two married in 1964 and had their son Chaz Bono in 1969. After eleven years of marriage, the couple separated in 1975 due to reports of infidelity.

The “Believe” singer moved on with Gregg Allman and the couple married in June 1975. A year later they welcomed their son Elijah Blue AllmanThe couple separated in 1979 due to Gregg’s drug problems. (Gregg died of liver cancer in 2017.)

“It was really intense, but it’s hard to marry someone who does drugs,” Cher told Daily Mail in an interview in 2018. “Drugs and I just weren’t meant for each other. I thought it was stupid and I still think it is. I’ve seen too many people whose lives have been ruined by it. It ruined Gregory’s life.”

Keep scrolling to see more of Cher’s family drama:

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Cher’s divorce from Sonny Bono

The duo split in 1975, and Cher has spoken openly about their difficult romance ever since. (Sonny died in 1998 at the age of 62 from complications of a skiing accident.)

“One woman, or even five, was not enough for him,” said Cher parade in an interview in 2010. “I only found all this out later. I asked him, ‘How did you manage the logistics?’ I was trusting and loyal to him. I’m not sure we were ever meant to be husband and wife.”

After her divorce, Cher admitted that she had no money and had to start from scratch.

“I thought I would never get out of this hole,” she said USA today in September 2013. “I had no money and had to pay him $2 million. It took a long time. I worked my way into Las Vegas and played two shows a night. My managers made more money than I did. I’m proud to still be here. A lot of people were gigantic and then they were gone.”

Cher through the years: From Sonny’s buddy to pop goddess

His son Elijah Allman’s drug addiction

Elijah admitted that he was only 11 years old when he started taking drugs.

“I started taking drugs around the same time as the rest of us, when I was about 11,” he said Entertainment tonight in February 2014, adding that he had been sober since 2008. “I mean, it’s just what you did, it’s just what everybody did. I just wanted to escape all the things from my past, and then you turn to drugs like that, you know, heroin and opiates.”

In October 2023, Cher spoke about her son’s years of drug abuse.

“I don’t suffer from any problem that millions of people in the United States don’t have,” she said People back then. “I’m a mother. That’s my job – to try to help my children in one way or another. You do everything for your children. Whenever you can help them, you just do it, because that’s what being a mother is all about. But there is joy, even when there is sorrow – most of the time you just smile when you think of your children, and you love them and try to be there for them.”

Cher's family drama over the years – alleged kidnappings, divorces, relationships and moreCher's family drama over the years – alleged kidnappings, divorces, relationships and more

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Cher is accused of kidnapping her son Elijah

In September 2023, Cher’s daughter-in-law Marie-Angela Koenigaccused Cher in a court filing of attempting to kidnap her then 47-year-old adult son Elijah.

In a statement Us weekly, King claimed she and Elijah were in a hotel room in November 2022 when four people came and “removed” Elijah. She then claimed she was “not allowed to see or speak to” Elijah because he was “currently in a treatment facility whose address is unknown to her” and did not have access to his phone. “I understand his family’s efforts to make sure he is OK, and I want the best for my husband,” she wrote in the documents, which were filed in December 2022.

She’s 75! Look back at Cher’s most unforgettable fashion moments

In new documents published by Us In October 2023, King filed a motion to “open Elijah’s health records” because she claimed Cher “continues to interfere with his health management, as well as his whereabouts and accessibility.”

In addition to Elijah’s health records, King also demanded the return of her car, belongings and artwork. “I was informed that the car and all of those items are at (his) mother Cher’s house in Malibu, which I no longer have access to,” she claimed. She further claims that Cher owns the deed to four pieces of Michael Jackson artwork that the singer “removed” from King’s room while her daughter-in-law was performing at a concert in 2021.

Following allegations that she kidnapped her son, Cher said People in October 2023 that the “rumor was not true” and declined to comment further.

The romance between Cher and Alexander “AE” Edwards with a big age difference

Cher and Edwards began dating in November 2022. Although they split for a short time in May 2023, the couple announced in September 2023 that they were rekindling their romance. Although the duo has a 40-year age difference, Cher said Extra in October 2023 that she was extremely happy with her romance.

Celebrity couples with a surprisingly large age difference

“I don’t like to talk about how happy I am, but no, we have a great time together,” she explained at the time. “We can talk about music. We can talk about anything. He has a great sense of humor, he has the sweetest son in the world ever. … We just get along.”

Cher reportedly applies for guardianship of son Elijah

Cher filed for guardianship of Elijah in December 2023, according to documents obtained by TMZ, claiming that Elijah is “virtually unable to manage his own financial resources due to severe mental health issues and substance abuse.”

The documents expressed Cher’s concern that the money Elijah is set to receive from his late father’s trust fund could be “spent on drugs,” putting his “life at risk.” Cher also claimed that Elijah’s ex-wife, Marie-Angela Koenigwas not suitable as his guardian because “their turbulent relationship was characterized by a vicious cycle of drug addiction and psychological crises.”

In January 2024, Cher’s request for temporary emergency guardianship of her son was denied. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui denied Cher’s request at a hearing on the grounds that a conservatorship was not urgently needed because her son “had his finances under control,” “had a home,” and had “remained drug-free” despite having undergone “multiple drug tests.”

After Cher filed a subpoena seeking access to Elijah’s medical records at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles in February 2024, he filed a motion to place the records under a protective order the following month.

According to the documents UsElijah filed the motion “to protect his confidential physician-patient information as well as his confidential psychotherapist-patient information.” The motion also protects Elijah “from unjust harassment, embarrassment, oppression, and undue burden and expense” if his medical records were made available to the public.

Elijah and his attorneys claimed the subpoena was issued “in bad faith” because it was issued “with the knowledge that the requested records could not be produced in a timely manner” and it violated the “proposed ward’s right to privacy.” The filing also alleged that the subpoena was issued “in abuse of the discovery process.”

Cher and Elijah attended a private mediation session in May 2024, according to court documents that UsAt the end of the meeting, they agreed to temporarily suspend the guardianship and all related legal proceedings.