http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/433535p-365260c.html
Clapton's silent grief Ex: In despair for son By ADAM NICHOLS DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Still heartbroken by the death of his 5-year-old son, Eric Clapton has become a reclusive loner who dreams of being buried next to his boy, his former lover told the Daily News. In an exclusive interview with journalist Daphne Barak, Lory Del Santo shared her memories of the day Conor died in 1991 — and how the tragedy changed their lives. Conor tumbled from the 53rd floor of a Manhattan apartment building after a housekeeper opened a window. "Suddenly the baby ran, just to have a run," Del Santo said from Monaco. "He went in this room, opened the door. And the [housekeeper] saw him going through, he forgot about the window. "[The housekeeper] came to me and said, 'I saw him going through, but I didn't know where he went,'" Del Santo said. "As soon as I entered the room and I saw the window, where can he be? In the sky, obviously. Paradise, hopefully." She said Clapton, known as "Slow Hand" for his masterful guitar skills, withdrew into himself immediately after the horrific accident. "He sat down," she said. "He sat down very quietly. He was looking out the window, kind of guarding his thoughts. "He didn't say much. I mean, I couldn't stop crying, but he was very cold." Days later, Clapton got a heart-wrenching letter written by Conor just before he died. "[Conor had] said to me a few days before, 'Mommy, I want to write to Daddy. What should I write?' I said, 'Write, I love you, Dad.' He wrote that." The letter was then sent to Clapton's address in London, where he got it just after the funeral. "[Clapton] receives the mail ... That moment I cannot forget," Del Santo said. "This tragedy, it broke our hearts so much." The singer, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who had famously struggled with alcohol and drug addictions, stopped the abuse after his son died. But his grieving led the always reserved celebrity to shun company even more, his ex-lover said. "He lives in silence," said Del Santo, who blames the tragedy for her split with Clapton. "He doesn't do anything ever. ... You have to wait in the shadow and be there somehow, and understand his world. He has this very personal world. "One day he told me, 'Talk only when I ask you a question. Otherwise, no.'" Clapton's Grammy-winning ballad to his son, "Tears in Heaven," came as a surprise to Del Santo, who had become accustomed to his refusal to deal with the tragedy. "He lives in silence. ... One day, he does something [writes "Tears in Heaven"] and that's his present forever." Conor is buried in a churchyard in Clapton's English homeland. "[Clapton] said he was going to be buried there, near the baby," said Del Santo. "That's where he wants to be." Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
