Cher is facing an agonising family crisis after her son, Elijah Blue Allman, was reportedly rushed to hospital following a suspected drug overdose in Southern California over the weekend.
The 48-year-old, who is the youngest son of the music icon and her late ex-husband Gregg Allman, was taken to a medical facility in Joshua Tree, California, early on Saturday morning. According to TMZ, the exact substance involved remains unknown, but Elijah is said to be receiving ongoing care and is in a stable condition.
The deeply worrying incident comes just months after Cher withdrew a temporary conservatorship petition for her son, citing in court documents last year that he was suffering from ‘severe mental health and substance abuse issues’.
© GettyIn the filing, she expressed fears that any money distributed to Elijah would ‘immediately be spent on drugs’, putting his life in danger.
The petition was formally dropped in September 2024, nine months after Elijah filed documents stating he was sober and regularly attending 12-step meetings.
© Kevin WinterElijah’s health struggles have been public knowledge for years. In a candid 2014 interview with ET, he admitted that his drug use began as early as age 11 and escalated into heroin and opiates. Speaking at the time, he said: "I was just looking to escape all the things in my past and that’s when you turn to those kinds of drugs… heroin kind of saved me. If I didn’t have that at that point, I don’t know what I would have done. You may jump off a bridge."
He continued: "I had some close calls and some moments of really feeling at the edge of mortality… Even though you think in your mind that you’re being careful, the wrong things can happen. The wrong combination of things can happen and you can just slip into the abyss."
© Steve GranitzElijah’s most recent health scare comes as he navigates a contentious divorce from his estranged wife, singer Marieangela King. Court documents show she is seeking $6,000 a month in spousal support, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ in the couple’s ongoing proceedings.
In May, Elijah was photographed outside Los Angeles’ famed Chateau Marmont looking visibly distressed, sunburned and disoriented — prompting concern for his wellbeing. This latest reported overdose follows shortly after that sighting.
Cher, 78, who has two sons — Elijah and Chaz Bono, 55 — has not made a public statement following the reported incident, but is understood to be focused on ensuring her son receives the care and support he needs.
The situation has revived painful memories of the struggles faced by Elijah’s father, Gregg Allman, who passed away in 2017 from liver cancer.
© Eugene Powers Photography/ShutterstockGregg, a legendary rock musician and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, had a long history of substance abuse. His brother, Duane Allman, Elijah’s uncle, also struggled with addiction before dying in a motorcycle accident at age 24 in 1971.
In 2023, Cher’s decision to seek conservatorship over Elijah’s finances made headlines. The filing stated: "Any funds distributed to Elijah will immediately be spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to provide for himself, and putting Elijah’s life at risk."
The court action sparked a public discussion about addiction, adult children, and the difficult decisions facing families attempting to support loved ones through recovery. At the time, Elijah opposed the conservatorship, saying he had been sober since late 2023.
His relationship with Cher has had its ups and downs over the years, with periods of estrangement, followed by reconciliation. The singer and actress has previously spoken about the challenges of parenting in the public eye and navigating her children’s personal battles.
The reported overdose has raised fresh questions about Elijah’s long-term wellbeing and whether more support may be needed. His struggle with addiction, which began in childhood, has spanned decades and been marked by a cycle of treatment, relapse and recovery.
In previous interviews, Elijah has said he hoped to one day find peace and stability: "I always knew it was wrong, and I knew I was very unsatisfied with life at that point. But I also always hoped things could change."
