1 / 14 photos Gregg Allman

Gregg Allman in his early 20s jamming out, circa 1970. In high school, Allman had originally planned on going to medical school but was convinced by his older brother, Duane, to become a musician.

Cover boys. An alternative cover of The Allman Brothers Band’s album, 1969. Members (left to right): drummer Jai Johanny Johanson 'Jaimoe,' bassist Berry Oakley (1948 - 1972), percussionist Butch Trucks, singer and guitarist Duane Allman (1946 - 1971), keyboardist Gregg Allman, and guitarist Dickey Betts pose at Rose Hill Cemetary in Macon, Georgia.

A talented keyboardist, Allman plays out at Tampa Bay Stadium with the Allman Brothers Band, circa 1970.

Shaggy hair, shaggy trees: Allman brothers, Duane (front) and Gregg (back), circa 1970, in Alabama. A year later Duane was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24.

Cher and Allman groove things out at a Doobie Brothers party in Los Angeles in 1975. The two were married from 1975-1979.

Allman and Chuck Berry take a snapshot together after Berry’s concert at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, circa 1975.

Cher and Allman croon out at the Rainbow Theatre in London in 1977. The couple released an album, Two the Hard Way, and toured together, but their projects ended up being commercial duds.

A hammock of love. Allman and Cher in Beverly Hills in 1977. A year prior, the couple gave birth to son Elijah Blue Allman, who later became a musician/singer himself in his own band, Deadsy.

Rock 'n' roll, denim, and shoulder pads. Allman with fellow musician Ray Vaughn. (Photo undated).

Apparently, Cher’s genes didn’t dominate. Allman with their son Elijah Blue in 1989.

Legends on stage: Elton John, Elvis Costello, Allman, and Jeff Bridges at the Beacon Theatre in New York City in 2010.

Unruly-haired Robert Plant chats with a slick-backed, ponytailed Allman at the 10th Americana Music Association at the Ryman Auditorium in Tennessee in 2011.

Allman, along with artists George Jones, Diana Ross, and Glen Campbell are celebrated as honorees at the 54th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 2011.

Still a soul-rock man. Despite going through serious health issues and undergoing a liver transplant in 2010, Allman still performs. Here, he plays at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2011.