Many know that Eric Clapton, 79, suffered a devastating loss when his four-year-old son, Conor, died in a tragic accident. Few, however, know about the heartbreaking promise he made to his boy.<\/p>\n
On March 20, 1991, Conor fell from a 53rd-floor apartment window in Manhattan while with his mother, Italian actress Lory Del Santo. A housekeeper had just finished cleaning when Conor ran past an unlatched window and fell. \u201cIf I hadn\u2019t checked the fax, he\u2019d still be alive,\u201d Lory later said.<\/p>\n
Just a day earlier, Clapton had spent a joyful afternoon with Conor at the circus \u2014 their first full day together. Excited to be a father, Clapton promised to take him to the Bronx Zoo the next day. Tragically, that day never came.<\/p>\n
Shattered by grief, Clapton brought Conor\u2019s body home to Ripley, England, for burial, then retreated to a small cottage in Antigua for nearly a year, seeking solace in music. \u201cAll I could do was play and write these songs until I felt like I could surface again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
From his pain came one of his most emotional works, Tears in Heaven<\/em>, written to honor Conor\u2019s memory. Adding to the heartbreak, Clapton later received a letter from his son \u2014 the first he\u2019d ever written \u2014 which arrived after the funeral. It simply read, \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n