The Pain Eric Clapton Felt Upon Losing His Son Conor Is Hidden In The Lyrics Of ‘Tears In Heaven’

The iconic rockstar Eric Clapton, who is known for his advanced guitar and songwriting skills, has reached international fame with his successful music career that spans almost sixty years. However, it is less known that he wrote some of his most famous songs such as ‘Tears in Heaven’ and ‘My Father’s Eyes’ based on personal tragedies.

There is no doubt that Eric Clapton is one of the most well-known rockstars of all time with one of the longest careers in rock music history. He is the only musician who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times and he ranked No. 2 in Rolling Stone’s list of the ‘100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.’

As for his personal life, Eric Clapton has experienced some heartbreaking tragedies which have sometimes become the source of his songwriting, such as the story behind ‘Tears in Heaven.’ The hit song was released in 1992 and was written by Clapton and Will Jennings. In the United States, it came to be known as Eric Clapton’s best–selling single and it ranked No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Although the song was a success, the pain hidden between the lines of the lyrics doesn’t come from a happy story. As you may know, Clapton married Patty Boyd in 1979 but their marriage wasn’t a healthy one as it was scarred by Clapton’s infidelities and domestic violence. While the couple was still together, Clapton had an affair with Italian model Lory Del Santo who got pregnant, and soon after that Pattie Boyd filed for a divorce.

Clapton’s son with Lory Del Santo, Conor, was born in 1986 and at the age of four, he passed away following an unfortunate accident. Conor fell out of his bedroom window from the 53rd floor and his passing scarred Eric Clapton forever. Following his son’s death, Eric Clapton made numerous public announcements during which he warned parents about the importance of childproofing windows and staircases.

Clapton stopped performing ‘Tears in Heaven’ and ‘My Father’s Eyes’ during his live shows in 2004 and stated that the reason why he stopped is that he doesn‘t feel the loss that he felt while writing these songs anymore, and as it is an essential factor when it comes to performing these songs, it’s best to let them go because he doesn’t want those painful feelings to come back.

Here’s what he said about not performing these songs anymore:

“I didn‘t feel the loss anymore, which is so much a part of performing those songs. I really have to connect with the feelings that were there when I wrote them. They’re kind of gone and I really don‘t want them to come back, particularly. My life is different now. They probably just need a rest and maybe I’ll introduce them for a much more detached point of view.”

Click here for the source and you can watch Eric Clapton performing ‘Tears in Heaven’ for the first time below.