Cher is accused of abducting her son from a New York hotel

Cher engineered the abduction of her own son from a N.Y. hotel, court documents say

Cher in a black leather trench coat and Elijah Blue Allman pose for photographers

By Jonah ValdezStaff Writer

Sept. 27, 2023 5:41 PM PT

Cher kidnapped her son last year from a New York hotel where he was with his wife, according to court documents. It was the night of their anniversary.

The allegations in the documents were made by the Hollywood icon’s daughter-in-law and are part of divorce proceedings between Cher’s younger son, Elijah Blue Allman, 47, and Marieangela King, 36, who wed Allman in 2013. Allman filed for divorce in November 2021, but a year later, the pair spent nearly two weeks at a New York hotel in an attempt to repair their marriage, according to documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in December that were reviewed by The Times.

King said in the documents that, on the night of the couple’s anniversary in November 2022, four men “came to our hotel room and removed [Allman] from our room.”

In the papers, which King filed not long after the alleged incident, she said: “I am currently unaware of my husband’s wellbeing or whereabouts. I am very concerned and worried about him. I was told by one of the four men who took him that they were hired by [Allman’s] mother,” referring to the Oscar, Grammy and Emmy winner.

Representatives for Cher, 77, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Allman’s attorney did not immediately respond Wednesday afternoon.

King was not available to comment on Wednesday, but her attorney, Regina Ratner, told The Times that her client was still concerned for the health and safety of her estranged husband. After the alleged abduction, Allman was taken to a treatment facility and King was not allowed to contact him, the court documents said. He was expected to end his treatment by March.

Cher had reportedly been worried about her son’s health and had been planning an intervention after he apparently collapsed at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood last year, according to the Daily Mail, which was the first to report on the court filings.

“I understand his family’s efforts to make sure he is well,” King continued in the court documents, “and I want what is best for my husband.”

The main aim of King’s December court filing was to seek spousal support and other means of assistance, such as housing and healthcare, as well as to gain access to her own assets and tax documents to prepare for a possible divorce trial, Ratner said as part of the filing. King said in the documents that Allman owed her $25,000 in outstanding spousal support payments.

The lack of payments, she said, have made it difficult for her to obtain housing, pay legal bills, and purchase her prescription medications. In August 2022, King said in the documents that Cher requested she move out of her home with Allman. King wasn’t allowed to “retrieve all my belongings” and does not have access to other items she bought with her husband during their marriage, such as art, antiques and furniture, according to the court documents.

Ratner said these concerns over financial support and the ability to access King’s assets had not been resolved. A hearing to set a trial date in the divorce case is scheduled for October, but Ratner said the case had been on hold for months, declining to comment further.

“It is imperative that discovery be complete, and our property is valued before going to trial,” King said in the December filing.

Cher and her second husband, Gregg Allman, had Elijah in 1975 during their four-year marriage. She had previously divorced singing partner Sonny Bono. As she charted a solo career in the 1970s, Cher regularly appeared publicly with young Elijah at her side. Elijah went on to become a recording artist himself, heading the Los Angeles industrial metal band Deadsy.

King, who performs as Queenie, is also a recording artist. In 1997, she and her four siblings formed the pop band King in London.

Times researcher Scott Wilson contributed to this report.