Eric Clapton is known for being one of the best-known musicians around the world in the 1980s.
In 1991, a freak accident took place involving the 4 4-year-old son of Eric, resulting in his tragic death.
The death of his young son had a significant effect on Eric. It also yielded the creation of the incredibly emotional Tears in Heaven song.
About Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton was born in 1945, and gone on to have an esteemed musical career. He has won several awards – in both the blues and rock genres.
He is widely regarded as one of the best guitarists of all time. His status is especially strong in England – his country of birth.
What happened to Conor Clapton?
On 20th March 1991, Eric was in a New York skyscraper when his son Conor – aged just 4 – suffered a tragic fall.
A cleaner had left a window open in the Manhattan flat that was being rented by Eric’s mother.
Tragically, Conor ended up falling out of the window. He fell from 53 stories, resulting in instant death.
In a cruel twist of fate, just days before Conor had written his first letter to his father, with his mother Lory posting it to Eric’s home. The letter arrived after his death.
The letter read “I love you” – with Lory later saying that when Eric opened the letter, it was a moment she “cannot forget.”
Reaction
Eric suffered significantly with Conor’s passing. He revealed that he moved to Antigua for a year following Conor’s passing.
Eric wished to live as a recluse after his son’s passing. He revealed in an interview about how he tried to not communicate with the outside world for a year, and instead kept to himself.
Eric said:
“all I could do was play and write these songs and I re-wrote and re-performed them again and again and again and again until I felt like I had made some sort of move towards the surface of my being and then I was able to come out.”
Eric was eventually able to rise from the pits of bereavement. This led to the development of one of his most famous songs – Tears in Heaven.
Tears in Heaven was released in December 1991 – nine months after the horrific death of Conor.
The song was also the soundtrack for a film called Rush, which dealt with loss. Eric said “it was a good opportunity for me to write about my son, about the loss of my son, and also have somewhere to put it, to channel it”.
Continuing, Eric said “I really wanted to say something about what had happened to me and the opportunity the movie gave me was excellent, because it meant I could write this song for the film and express my own feelings.”
Eric credited music with helping him get over Conor’s passing. He said:
“I almost subconsciously used music for myself as a healing agent, and lo and behold, it worked … I have got a great deal of happiness and a great deal of healing from music.”
The Takeaway
Clapton was able to have other children, and enjoyed his experience as a father. While this didn’t take away the pain of Conor’s passing, it helped.
Clapton will always be remembered for his music, and for his ability to bounce back and inspire others following a traumatic bereavement.
