April 7, 2025

Eric Clapton’s Son Death ｜ Learn Real English

Learn Real English ｜ Eric Clapton’s Son Death

Eric Clapton’s son death happened in 1991. It was an event that profoundly alter his life and perhaps create one of his most beloved songs.

In this lesson, we will take a look at what happened through interviews with Eric Clapton and Lory Del Santo. We’ll learn some of the key phrases and how to use them. A must watch for any Eric Clapton fans.

1991年にエリック・クラプトンの息子さんが亡くなりました。この出来事は彼の人生に大きな影響を与え、みんなに愛された曲の一つを生み出すことになりました。

このレッスンでは、エリック・クラプトンとローリー・デル・サントのインタビュー動画を利用し、この名曲がどのようにうまれたのかをみていきながら、重要なフレーズとその使い方を学んでいきましょう。エリック・クラプトンファンは必見ですよ。

Interview Transcript ｜ Eric Clapton’s Son

English Stripped Bare - B. Bearington & Naomi Culture & Music: Eric Clapton's Son's Death Lory Del Santo Conor Clapton — Lory Del Santo & Eric Clapton at Their Son’s, Conor Clapton, Funeral, 1991

Do you think some people might accuse you of exploiting, you know, what’s happened?

The most important thing is that I honor my son’s memory.

Do you think some people might accuse you of… of exploiting, you know, what’s happened by… I mean, you say it’s part of the healing process, but if some people think ‘he shouldn’t…’

Well, that is… that… that is… that’s… that’s something I think about a lot, because I feel the most important thing is that I honor my son’s memory.

And in to a sense I’m willing to say, ‘sod you’ to… to everybody, you know.

That is what I’m going to do because that’s the way I feel about it, you know. I want him to be remembered and I want to remember him through good music and nice songs.

Eric obviously used his music as one way of dealing with his grief.

Oh my god! That song…

He wrote a very famous song. Did…

Oh, I…

Have you ever heard it? Have you listened to it?

Are you crazy? I… I was walking. I don’t know where. From a shop… this song I heard… They told me, yeah… this song out, but I never wanted to hear this song, you know. Escaping the moment. And then, I was there in that shop and this song goes on.

Such a beautiful song. I just, you know… I understood that he put his everything there, you know. His pain, his everything. And so, something that, um, you know, you can feel your heart actually, you know, um, shaking.

Can you play us something that you feel is part of this healing process?

Well, um, there is a song that I’ve written for a movie that, um… but in actual fact, was really sort of a… it was in the back of my head, but it didn’t have a reason for being until I was scoring this movie. Which I did a little while ago. And then, it sort of had a reason to be.

And it a… And it is a little ambiguous cause it could be taken to be about Conor. But it also is meant to be part of the film. So…

Well, would you?

Yeah, we could play a bit of that. It’s called ‘Tears in Heaven.’

When he was born I was drinking and he was really, um, the chief reason that I that… I went back to treatment. Because I… I really did love this boy and I thought, I can’t… I know he’s like a little baby, but he can see me and he can see what I’m doing. And I don’t want… I’m tired of this.

And I remember putting the phone down and calmly walking from my hotel to that place, as if nothing had happened. And… and I walk past the street, and this is a terrible thing of shame for me, which I’ll never ever perhaps recover from, and seeing the amb… seeing a crowd of people and… and paramedic van, and knowing that he was there and walking by.

And I’ll punish myself forever about; why didn’t I run? Why didn’t I go to see him?

And… and the truth is, I couldn’t. I was so frightened.

And I suddenly became aware of the fact that there was a way to turn this dreadful tragedy into something positive. That I would consider living my life from this point to honor the memory of my son.