'It was miserable': Marieangela King opens up after court rejects Cher's conservatorship filing for son Elijah
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Marieangela King, British musician and daughter-in-law to the legendary singer Cher, 77, has recently described the ordeal of the past four months as “nothing short of a nightmare” after the ‘Goddess of Pop’ filed for conservatorship of her son Elijah Allman.
In December, Cher requested a California court to grant her the conservatorship of Elijah - her son with her second husband Gregg Allman - citing he is addicted to drugs and "substantially unable to manage his financial resources," per E! Online.
However, on January 29, a judge at the Superior Court of Los Angeles County dismissed Cher’s petition citing "insufficient evidence.”
After the recent legal development, Marieangela King, also known as Queenie, opened up to the Daily Mail about the ordeal through which she and her husband had to pass.
Marieangela King opens up about the court order
In her December 2023 filing for conservatorship, Cher described her daughter-in-law as the destructive presence in her son’s life. Cher also claimed that Marieangela blocked all efforts to get Elijah the help he required.
In her petition, the musical diva wrote, “Their tumultuous relationship has been marked by a cycle of drug addiction and mental health crises,” and feared Elijah would be dead within a year if the conservatorship was not placed.
In her interview with Daily Mail, Marieangela, nevertheless, denied the claim and said she has always acted in her husband’s best interest.
Commenting on the allegation she took Elijah out of the rehab, Marieangela said, “It has been said in court documents that I have taken him out of rehab.”
She explained, “Yes, I took him out of [a facility in] Mexico where he was being held against his will, and where he had no rights, and was coerced into going. I wanted the best for him.”
She further cleared the air regarding her addiction issue, saying, “I have no reputation for taking illicit drugs, everyone knows this about me.”
Questioning Cher’s suitability to care for her son, Marieangela reflected, “She doesn’t drive, doesn’t make her own food or dress herself.”
On January 4, Elijah filed a motion of his own. While he acknowledged his struggle with alcohol, he also said that he has been sober for three months.
He said he is under the care of a doctor and is attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He was also willing to submit to drug tests.
On January 29, the judge at the Superior Court of Los Angeles County denied Cher’s request saying she’d “not been persuaded.”
Marieangela King commented on her relationship with Cher
Mariengela and Elija - who is an accomplished musician himself and frontlines his band Deadsy - got married in 2013.
While Mariangela shared that her mother-in-law was not excited at the prospect of getting married, her relationship with Cher improved later.
Commenting on the differences between them, Marieangela explained, “Elijah always says that we are both strong women, that Cher has a strong personality and so do I. But I love my mother-in-law and we have had some really good times together. I miss that side of her.”
She shared that when the couple resided in Los Angeles, they developed a close relationship with the ‘After All’ songstress.
But, as it was with several families, Covid took a toll on their familial relationship. Things went downhill after the couple moved into Cher’s 16,000-square-foot Malibu mansion.
Marieangela shared, “Cher really took Covid to the next level,” before adding, “It was a very fearful house and it wasn’t really my cup of tea, but Cher took the view that it was her house so it was her rules.”
She continued, “For example, we had one hour per week to go to Whole Foods and she clocked us in when we got back to make sure we weren’t any later. It was masks and gloves, and we got sprayed down and had to take our clothes off when we got home.”
“Cher was in her room all of the time. We weren’t allowed to see her, we were the dangerous ones. It was miserable,” Marienagela shared, before adding, “It got really awful so we moved out and got a rental.”
After the restrictions were eased, she went to visit her family abroad. That was the time when Elijah relapsed again and he went back into taking drugs.
She shared that she got to know about the situation after Elijah called her from a hospital informing her of the treatment. She flew back to the US only to find her mother-in-law non-cooperative.
She shared, “I asked Cher where he was and she said she couldn’t tell me. Elijah then called me and he was at Cedars Sinai Hospital in LA so I went there but was told by the front desk that I wasn’t allowed to see him.”
“I kept trying to get the nurse to let me, and eventually they threatened me with security. I did see Elijah for an hour but then I got a call from Cher to say I had to leave. She was on her “mother to the rescue” thing,” continued Marieangela.
She added, “I was made to feel that this was all my fault. I felt that Cher was saying “Why couldn’t you whip my son into shape?””
Toward the end of 2021, she received divorce papers from Elijah which she said, “From the very beginning I know they [the divorce papers] weren’t from him.” She explained, “Normally there is acrimony when people get divorced and there wasn’t any between us.”
At that point, Marieangela moved out of her mother-in-law’s property and rented an Airbnb nearby.
In November 2022, Elijaj was out of rehab and reconciled with Marieangela. As the couple were celebrating their wedding anniversary in a hotel in New York, Marieangela said that Elijah was “kidnapped” by four men, and taken to a treatment center in Texas.
While she claimed in her court papers that the abduction was orchestrated by the Grammy-winning singer, Cher denied the claim.
The now-reconciled couple faced a period of estrangement in between and Elijah started living in Los Angeles at the Chateau Marmont hotel, where he was often found “strung out” or “passed out” by staff.
On December 1, Marieangela claimed she received a message from her husband who was in a rehabilitation facility in Rosarito, Mexico.
Marieangela shared, ‘It said “send all the king’s horses and all the king’s men” which was our code for “I’m in distress, call the troops”,” before adding, “I called the place back and I then knew I had to cross the border and go and get him. I was very afraid but I had to rescue him. Once I was there the people running it pretended not to know who I was.”
By the time the pair returned to the US, the British musician claims Cher has filed for the conservatorship.
She reflected, “I was so upset. We didn’t know about the legal action until some friends saw it online.”
Soon they got their lawyers and fought for their marriage in court. On February 2, the petition for their divorce was also dismissed.
She claimed that following the two positive court orders, they are doing well and reflected, “Our marriage is not perfect but we’ve lasted longer than most Hollywood marriages. I’m Catholic, and I don’t believe in divorce. I’m glad Elijah took the divorce off the table.”
She continued, “Elijah and I were recently discussing this matter for the first time because I haven’t had access to him in so long. He was put into facilities and I wasn’t told of his whereabouts and we weren’t allowed to see or speak to each other.”
“I felt since the very beginning he was being pressured into a divorce, we both were. There is nothing that is irreparable when you have love. Love covers a multitude of sins. If you can’t figure it out now you will keep repeating the same mistakes with the next person. Elijah is my person,” declared the embattled wife.
However, she is still cautious about her mother-in-law, saying, “I love my mother-in-law,” and adding, “I hope we make peace in the future, but like any relationship, it has to come with healthy boundaries and not with the current given narrative.”
Despite the hope for a better future, Marieangela is hoping for at least an apology, “Life is short. It’s over before we know it. But I feel I am owed an apology, to say the least.”
