Los Angeles, May 28 (IANS): Gregg Allman, whose The Allman Brothers Band was the pioneering unit in the Southern rock explosion of the 1970s, passed away at the age of 69.

Allman died on Saturday due to complications from liver cancer, his longtime manager, Michael Lehman, told variety.com.

On April 24, reports surfaced online that Allman was in hospice. However, Lehman denied it.

Allman suffered a number of ailments in the past few years, including an irregular heartbeat, a respiratory infection, a hernia and a liver transplant. He cancelled many scheduled tour dates in last few months for health reasons.

Lehman said that Allman's liver cancer recurred around five years ago, but the singer chose to keep the news private.

He co-founded with his late brother Duane The Allman Brothers Band, and as a solo artiste, Allman was one of the leading lights of Southern rock.

Allman's last concert took place on October 29, 2016, in Atlanta.

Married and divorced six times, Allman is survived by three sons and two daughters, all by different mothers.

He will be buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, Georgia, next to Duane and former Allmans bassist Berry Oakley, Lehman said.