Eric Clapton, one of the world’s most influential musicians, lived an extraordinary life. This makes sense given that he had a defining impact on the spread of rock music and, by extension, popular culture itself. Clapton’s involvement in The Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, and Cream says a lot about the nature of his celebrity.
Clapton is a divisive figure who was no stranger to controversy despite his musical talent. The majority of this revolves around his drunken racist outburst in Birmingham in 1976. This should never be forgotten and undoubtedly alters his standing. Furthermore, his recent anti-vax sentiments led some long-term fans to abandon him.
However, Eric Clapton became involved in more than just political messes. He’s also fluent in the pitfalls of romance. The most significant instance of this was his protracted love for his best friend, George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd, whom he eventually married after a lot of emotional chaos.
Although Clapton and Boyd were married from 1979 to 1989, the former Cream guitarist, like his old friend George Harrison, had an extra-marital affair near the end of his and Boyd’s marriage.
Clapton, being the great romantic that he is, wrote a song about the tryst, cementing it into his extensive lore. ‘Lady Of Verona’ is from the 1993 bootleg Further On Up The Crossroads 1964-1990. Lory Del Santo, an Italian actor, met Clapton in 1985 while on tour in Italy. They had one son, Conor, who died tragically at the age of four after falling from a window. The timeless ballad “Tears in Heaven” is about him.
According to reports, after the tour ended, Clapton attempted to reconcile with Boyd but ended up moving in with Del Santo instead. Only a few weeks later, he had a change of heart and attempted to reconcile with his distraught wife. However, when he informed Del Santo of his plans, she informed him that she was pregnant.
Clapton left, but Boyd refused to let him return. According to his memoir Clapton: The Autobiography, he became so depressed that he attempted suicide by taking an entire bottle of Valium, but all it only put him to sleep.
Clapton even began drinking again, but he still managed to release a successful album, August, in late 1986. Though recorded for the album, Clapton omitted ‘Lady of Verona’ in an unlikely display of sympathy for his soon-to-be ex-wife. It remained released until the Further On Up The Crossroads 1964-1990.
