Names and faces

LITTLE ROCK — Gregg Allman is getting married for the seventh time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member has told several interviewers this week that he’s engaged to his 24-year-old girlfriend, Shannon Williams, and Allman’s publicist and manager confirmed the news Friday morning. Allman talked about the unexpected love he felt for Williams in an interview with The Associated Press earlier this year for a story about his memoir, My Cross to Bear, but admitted he was leery about taking the relationship further because of his past difficulties in his love life. But Allman told Howard Stern, Piers Morgan and a SiriusXM audience this week that he’s taken the relationship to the next stage. No date has been set for the marriage. Little is known about Williams, who entered the 64-year-old rock pioneer’s life after a liver transplant and a run of health difficulties. Allman told the AP in a love-struck voice he met her while in Florida on Friday, Jan. 13, and “I am totally in love.” Allman’s failed marriages make up a significant part of My Cross to Bear, a best-seller after its release May 1. He offers a rare glimpse into his private life, detailing the rise and collapse of his relationship with Cher, among other topics.

Keira Knightley, the glamorous star of Pirates of the Caribbean, is engaged to marry musician James Righton, her publicist said Friday. Publicist Sara Keene said the couple was not releasing any details of the proposal, and did not have any comment on wedding plans. Righton is a keyboard player for the rock group Klaxons. He and Knightley, 27, have been dating since early last year. Previously, Knightley dated actor Rupert Friend for several years. Knightley first won notice for her role as a soccer-playing teenager in Bend It Like Beckham. She went on to star in the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies and was nominated for an Oscar in 2006 for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.