We often think famous names lead a happy life with no worries thanks to fame and money. But the truth is somewhat different. Many artists struggle with mental health issues rooted in their childhood or the tragedies they had to go through.
Eric Clapton was married twice, and he now has five children. His first wife was Pattie Boyd Harrison, and the couple had no children. He then married Melia McEnery, and they had three daughters named Julie Rose, Ella Mae, and Sophie. Clapton’s eldest child is his daughter Ruth, and he also had a son named Conor.
He now has a good relationship with his children, but they share a tragic history.
Clapton’s Relationship With His Children Isn’t Quite Well
Eric Clapton released his song ‘Tears In Heaven’ in 1992. It became his best-selling single but had a tragic meaning for Clapton.
Clapton married Pattie Boyd in 1979, but it wasn’t a happy marriage. Clapton had an affair with Lory Del Santo while they were still together, and she got pregnant. Pattie Boyd filed for divorce shortly after learning about this.
Lory Del Santo gave birth to Clapton’s son Conor in 1986. Conor sadly passed away at four due to an unfortunate accident. He fell out of his bedroom window from the 53rd floor as it was left open. Eric couldn’t cope with this, so he tried to express his feelings in ‘Tears In Heaven.’ His daughter Ruth helped Clapton to get over the tragedy.
Clapton had another affair with Yvonne Kelly while he was still married to Pattie Boyd. Kelly was also married, but they had their daughter Ruth Kelly Clapton in January 1985. Ruth’s existence was hidden from the public. In 1991, the media realized Ruth was Clapton’s daughter. They still managed to form a father-daughter relationship, though.
Ruth says she and Clapton didn’t talk for six years because his father didn’t want her to post his personal life on social media. The two then reconciled when Ruth went through a divorce in 2020 and turned to Clapton for emotional support. She continues to stand by her father’s side at all times possible, and Clapton credits her for why he’s still alive.
Clapton Wasn’t Aware Of One Bitter Truth
Clapton also had a difficult childhood. He was born on March 30, 1945, to Patricia Molly Clapton and Edward Walter Fryer. His mother was 16 years old at the time of the marriage. His father was 25. Fryer was a soldier, and he was drafted to war before Clapton’s birth.
Clapton sadly grew up believing his grandmother Rose was his mother, Patricia’s stepfather was his father, and his mother was his older sister.
Patricia married another Canadian soldier and decided to move to Germany. She then left Eric with his grandparents in Surrey. Clapton learned more about his father in 2007. His grandparents eventually told him the truth when he was nine, but he had no idea who his father was. This deeply upset Eric and made him write the 1998 song ‘My Father’s Eyes.’
A Montreal journalist named Michael Woloschuk started searching to find out more about Eric’s father. He researched Canadian Armed Forces service records and finally learned that Edward Walter Fryer was Clapton’s father, and he died from leukemia on May 15, 1985. Fryer didn’t know about Clapton as well, and he was also a musician himself.
So, we can say that Clapton was also born into a dysfunctional family. His mother wasn’t mature enough to raise a child when she gave birth to him, and his father didn’t consider their marriage serious. It seems Ruth and Conor also had a similar fate as their father failed to take his family seriously.
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