No more 'Tears in
Heaven' for Clapton

Guitar legend says he doesn't
feel loss of son anymore

Jeff Christensen / REUTERS

Music legend Eric Clapton wrote the song "Tears in Heaven" after the death of his son, Conor.

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updated 10:37 a.m. ET March 11, 2004

NEW YORK - Two of Eric Clapton’s best-known songs are gone from his concert repertoire — perhaps for good.

The guitar legend found, during a series of concerts in Japan a few months ago, that he couldn’t perform “Tears in Heaven” and “My Father’s Eyes.”

The songs, both Grammy Award winners, deal with the loss of his 4-year-old son, Conor, who died when he fell from a New York apartment in 1991.

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“I didn’t feel the loss anymore, which is so much a part of performing those songs,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“I really have to connect with the feelings that were there when I wrote them,” he said. “They’re kind of gone and I really don’t want them to come back, particularly. My life is a different life now.”

He said he’d feel conflicted to sing the songs at a time when he’s happy.

“They probably need a rest,” he said, “and maybe I’ll introduce them from a much more detached point of view.”