Many know that Eric Clapton, now 79, faced unimaginable heartbreak when his 4-year-old son, Conor, died in a tragic accident on March 20, 1991. Conor fell from a 53rd-floor Manhattan apartment window after a housekeeper left it open. Clapton was on his way to pick him up.
“If I hadn’t checked the fax, he’d still be alive,” said Conor’s mother, Italian actress Lory Del Santo, recalling how a moment’s distraction changed everything.
The day before, Clapton had spent his first full day alone with Conor at the circus. Inspired by the experience, he promised to be a better father and planned a trip to the Bronx Zoo the next day — a trip that never happened.
Shattered by grief, Clapton retreated from public life. He took Conor’s body to his hometown of Ripley, England, for the funeral, then isolated himself in Antigua for nearly a year, finding solace in music.
From this pain came Tears in Heaven, co-written with Will Jennings, a tribute to Conor and a way to cope. Adding to his heartbreak, Clapton received a letter Conor had written days before the accident — his first ever — simply saying, “I love you.”