Concerned that her son Elijah Blue Allman is about to receive a large annual payment from his trust fund, Cher has stepped in to ask a court to let her control his finances. “Given his ongoing mental health and substance abuse issues, [Cher] is concerned that any funds distributed to Elijah will be immediately spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to provide for himself and putting Elijah’s life at risk,” the document filed in a Los Angeles Superior Court states.

While 2023 brought Cher, 77, a new romance with music producer A.E. Edwards and a hit Christmas album, she continues to worry about Elijah, 47, her son from her marriage to the late guitarist Gregg Allman. Cher has denied an accusation from Elijah’s estranged wife that she had Elijah kidnapped and forcibly taken to rehab, but she hopes that cutting off easy access to his money will encourage him to remain in treatment. “I’m a mother,” Cher says. “This is my job — one way or another, to try to help my children. You do anything for your children.”

Left to his own devices, Cher fears that Elijah will squander his inheritance and possibly overdose. “His spending was outrageous, and it was clearly connected to his addiction and mental issues,” explains an insider. “She’s intervening to save her son’s life and prevent him from going broke.”

Cher's Kids: Sons Chaz Bono and Elijah Blue Allman
 Inside Cher's Relationships With Sons Chaz Bono and Elijah Blue Allman

Elijah’s estranged wife, Marieangela King, also concerns Cher. “Their tumultuous relationship has been marked by a cycle of drug addiction and mental health crises,” the court documents say, making the case that Marieangela is unfit to manage Elijah’s fortune. “Cher says Marieangela doesn’t have her son’s best interest at heart. She definitely doesn’t trust her to do the right thing,” says the insider. “Yes, Elijah is a grown man, but Cher is not going to sit back and watch her son ruin his life.”