Gregg Allman's manager on details of singer's final days, album

— -- Michael Lehman managed Gregg Allman's career from 2004 until the singer's death on Saturday from complications related to liver cancer and said Allman was involved in new music until the end.

As it became clear that Allman was dying, "[W]e started talking about preserving his legacy, and especially the new record, Southern Blood -- that made him light up," Lehman told Variety.

Allman began work on the album more than a year ago with producer Don Was in the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Lehman confirmed that Allman was "struggling a little with the recurrence of his liver cancer," but worked around his health problems to record the new album.

Allman worked with Jackson Browne on one song, adding that Browne was one of Allman's closest friends in the rock business, going back to when both were teenagers. He said the two were "very close to the end."

"He and Jackson were in communication a lot because they were working on 'A Song for Adam,' and Jackson wanted to be there for Gregg," Lehman said.

Lehman said that, in the end, Allman was at peace.

"We canceled dates when we had to, but we ended up playing through October," he said. "We’d hoped to get through the end of the year, but he’d had another bout of pneumonia and other respiratory ailments. But for good or bad, he got to be home and relax, even though his true passion was being on the road."

"He’d listen to music, read books, see his kids," Lehman said. "He got married to Shannon in February so he was able to take advantage of that time with her and being at his house, sitting by the pool, playing with his dogs."

"Thank goodness he did not suffer at the end," he said. "He died peacefully at home."