32. He Was Honored
In 1989, The Allman Brothers Band reunited for their 20th anniversary. Their new music made them feel re-energized and hopeful. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the next year. It was well-earned and a long time coming. It should’ve been one of the highest moments in Gregg’s career.
Instead, it turned out to be rock bottom.
33. He Hit Rock Bottom
While many legendary performers and inductees graced the stage that night, Gregg’s meltdown is what people remember. Like most inductees, he’d prepared a speech and a list of people to thank. But by time Gregg stepped up to the mic, he was too inebriated to remember.
He only managed to thank Duane—and only Duane. Waking up the morning after wasn’t just a wake-up call. It became the wakeup call.
34. He Had A Wake Up Call
Whenever Gregg watched the videos from this time, he couldn’t recognize himself. Gregg knew he had to get clean. For real, and for good this time. But it’d take something—or someone—special to get him sober and to make it stick.
Luckily for Gregg, he crossed paths with the right woman at the right place and the right time.
35. He Had A Savior
Gregg’s story would’ve ended even earlier without Stacey Fountain. They married in 2001, but she was more than his sixth wife. Stacey was the reason Gregg survived addiction and hepatitis C for that long. But Gregg was also the reason Stacey snapped.
When Stacey learned he was headed out on tour, she made her own plans to hang out with friends and family in Europe. This shouldn’t have been a big deal, but Gregg made it one.
Jonathan Leibson, Getty Images
36. He Was Blindsided
Gregg Allman didn’t want Stacey to go, and gave her a piece of his mind. Since Stacey was kind and helped him pack after this fight, he thought they were fine. But he finished his tour and came home to an emptied house. A bag in the middle of the room was the only thing Stacey spared. Message received loud and clear.
Gregg’s sixth marriage lasted seven years, but he could’ve used Stacey’s support for what was coming.
37. He Was Sick
Once Gregg’s health issues started, they didn’t stop. The hepatitis C diagnosis was in 2007. The discovery of three liver tumors was in 2008. The respiratory infection and lung surgery were in 2011. The rehab stint for addiction, and liver cancer diagnosis were in 2012. Doctors estimated that Gregg might live another 12 to 18 months with treatment.
And so, Gregg made a devastating decision.
38. He Accepted His Fate
Gregg Allman, then 65 years old, refused radiation. The potential damage to his voice was unacceptable. Gregg spent his final days making music and writing his memoir My Cross to Bear (2012). He made peace with everything: “And when it's all said and done, I'll go to my grave and my brother will greet me, saying, "Nice work, little brother—you did all right. I must have said this a million times, but if I died today, I have had me a blast”.
Then, a miracle happened.
39. He Defied The Odds
Gregg Allman smashed his life expectancy by years, but he was far from cured. His time was still running out. Fast. In the meantime, Gregg did his favorite things, and spent time making music and making love. Gregg’s liver was failing, but his heart? It’d never been better—at least romantically. Gregg didn’t give up on romance. It turned out that the seventh time could be the charm.
40. He Fell In Love Instantly
When Gregg Allman noticed a beautiful blonde in the crowd at a gig, he stopped in his tracks. He declared “Excuse me, folks, I'd like to get the chance to meet this lady”. The lady turned out to Shannon Williams, and the spark turned out to be more than lust at first sight.
Their marriage in 2012 scandalized everyone—but this wasn’t just because it was Gregg’s seventh.
Andrea Klein, Wikimedia Commons
41. He Fell In Love For Real
Turns out, Gregg was old enough to be Shannon’s father—and then some. The 64-year-old past-his-prime rock star marrying the 24-year-old couldn’t have been more cliché and creepy. But the newlyweds felt misunderstood. Shannon swore he was “a really shy, sweet Southern gentleman” with her.
And Gregg went even further.
Derek Bridges, Wikimedia Commons
42. He Dissed His Exes
In My Cross to Bear, Gregg Allman made a confession about his pre-Shannon love life. He insisted, “Every woman I’ve ever had a relationship with has loved me for who they thought I was. Maybe they were in love with whatever was onstage, but when the lights are out and the sound goes off, you’re left with this dude, and that’s me”. Sorry, Cher!
Of course it was never his fault. But not everyone bought what Gregg was selling.
Carl Lender, Wikimedia Commons
43. He Found True Love
During an interview, Piers Morgan couldn’t resist asking Gregg how Shannon felt about being wife number seven. Gregg set the record straight: “That’s not what she’s becoming. She’s becoming wife number one. I don’t have a wife, I haven’t had one for years”. Gregg saw Shannon as his first and only true love. Ouch.
And while his marriage fell into place, The Allman Brothers Band fell apart again.
44. He Reached The End
The Allman Brothers Band called it quits in 2014. It was for real, yet different, this time. The band planned and announced their breakup in advance. This meant they could do goodbye concerts and give everyone closure.
The Allman Brothers Band had changed a lot over the years, and they’d also changed music. This goodbye prepared their fans for the real deal.
Jeremy Flint from Birmingham, AL, USA, Wikimedia Commons
45. He Declined
Gregg’s health continued declining over the years, and his liver cancer spread to his lungs by October 2016. There would be no treatment options and no miraculous recoveries this time. But you’d never know it looking at him. Gregg continued making music and playing shows, even if he had to make vague excuses for canceling shows or dismiss hospice rumors.
Gregg knew he only had one last album left in him—and he wanted to make the most of it.
46. He Said Goodbye
Southern Blood was a lifetime in the making. But Gregg Allman sdidn’t just want his final album to only be about his impending demise, and saying goodbye. Gregg also explained and made sense of his life. For his fans and for himself. Gregg wanted to make original songs, but his health didn’t allow it. He covered meaningful and storytelling songs instead. Gregg chose a September 2017 release to avoid clashing with more popular artists.
Liza from Milwaukee, Wikimedia Commons
47. He Got Revenge
Way back in 1971, just before Gregg’s brother Duane died, the pair had gotten into a fight. One night, Duane used up all Gregg’s white stuff, so Gregg didn’t just get mad. He got even. He stormed into his brother’s home and found him passed out in bed. He used up half of Duane’s stash, and headed home.
When Duane woke up, he called Gregg, cursing at him and demanding “Did you come over here and steal”? Gregg would live to regret his response.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
48. He Lied
“No, I did not”, Gregg told his brother. Duane believed him and apologized: “Okay, man, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you up, accusing you…I sure do love ya”. This should’ve been something they laughed at in time. But Gregg and Duane didn’t have that time.
Gregg later revealed the truth about the interaction, and confessed his regret that his last words to Duane were lies. He said, “I have thought of that lie every day of my life, and I just keep re-crucifying myself for it. I know that’s not what he would want—well, not for long, anyway”.
49. He Passed
On May 26, 2017, Gregg spent the night making some final tweaks to the album. The 69-year-old then went to bed…and never woke up. The funeral? So Gregg. Countless celebrity friends, including Cher, attended. They all wore jeans, as he requested. Then there were the hundreds of fans, many wearing Allman Brothers Band shirts and blasting their music, that lined the procession route.
Gregg, at peace with Duane and Berry, had one last move.
Jonathan Bayer, Wikimedia Commons
50. He Was Remembered
In September, his final album was released posthumously to critical acclaim. In “My Only True Friend”, the only original song he managed to make, Gregg bared his soul and darkest fear. He repeatedly sang to his fans “I hope you’re haunted by the music of my soul when I’m gone”. Gregg was many things, but forgettable was never one of them.
Alberto Cabello from Vitoria Gasteiz, Wikimedia Commons
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
