Eric Clapton on How ‘Tears in Heaven’ Helped Him Grieve His Son
Eric Clapton details in a resurfaced 1992 interview how “Tears in Heaven” helped him grieve his son, Conor.
The resurfaced interview via People was initially conducted as part of Clapton’s legendary performance on MTV Unplugged. That performance featured an acoustic version of “Tears in Heaven,” which went on to win three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The song was inspired by Clapton’s son’s tragic death at the age of four when he fell from the window of a New York City apartment building in March 1991. Clapton wrote the song for the 1991 film Rush starring Jason Patric, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gregg Allman, and Sam Elliott.
In the resurfaced interview, Clapton says, “It was really needed to illustrate loss because of what happens in the movie, and it was a good opportunity for me to write about my son, about the loss of my son, and also have somewhere to put it. And I really wanted to say something about what had happened to me and the opportunity the movie gave me was excellent, because it meant I could write this song for the film and express my own feelings.”
Clapton also mentioned how important it was for him to share his grief with his fans, because for him sharing his deeply personal loss was part of how he was able to heal.
As previously reported reported, an extended 90-minute version of Clapton’s MTV Unplugged special titled Unplugged… Over 30 Years Later will premiere on Paramount+ on Feb. 2.
The extended version includes behind-the-scenes footage, personal conversations about how songs were chosen, practice sessions, and band moments never before released. Audio experts have carefully restored the sound from that special night at Bray Studios in Windsor on January 16, 1992.
