Gregg Allman explores his life-threatening battle with hepatitis C in forthcoming memoir

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Gregg Allman’s new memoir, My Cross to Bear, is due May 1 — and fans can expect a frank look into his health struggles with hepatitis C, a virus that leads to liver inflammation.

The 64-year-old, fresh off a critically acclaimed solo triumph with Low Country Blues, had a liver transplant a year ago. It was during that fight for his life, Allman says, that he decided to begin writing his life’s story.

“I’m a pretty private person, and would always joke that if I wrote a book about my life it would need sequels because of all the tales that haven’t been told,” Gregg Allman told Men’s Health. “Honestly, I never thought I’d be writing a memoir, until I was in a fight for my life battling chronic hepatitis C. It was then that I started reflecting and realized that with the good, the bad, and the funny, people might get something from hearing my stories.”

Before his 1999 diagnosis, Allman had built a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career as one of the co-creators of Southern rock, having been placed No. 70 on the Rolling Stone list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. Together with the Allman Brothers Band, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 54th Grammy telecast.

Hepatitis C put all of that in perspective, Gregg Allman said.

“When you go through something like hep C, you really do some soul searching looking back but also forward on where you want to go,” Allman said. “My life’s been a real roller coaster ride, but I’ll tell you it’s been a thrilling one. … After going through what I did, I think I look at life differently. I know that I’m lucky to be here. For me, it’s always been about the music and even through my challenges with chronic hep C, I’ve pushed on as much as I could with my music. I’ve always appreciated what we’ve got, but today some things are even more special.”

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