Eric Clapton is one of the most recognizable figures in the music industry not just for his influence on the world of rock and songwriting, but also his private life.
The English rocker, who turned 80 on Sunday, has lived a very public life since his debut in the 1960s, and his dating history in particular has often turned heads.
From the messy circumstances leading to his first marriage, to the relationships that resulted in his first two children, here's a breakdown of Eric's love life over the decades…
© Getty ImagesAlice Ormsby-Gore
In the late 1960s, Eric met Alice Ormsby-Gore, a British aristocrat and the daughter of the 5th Baron of Harlech. She was in her late teens while he was in his early 20s.
The couple quickly struck up an on-and-off relationship, marred by the musician's own growing infatuation with his songwriting partner George Harrison's wife, and they were also avid heroin users. She was often branded his fiancée, although those reports were never confirmed.
In 1974, they officially called it quits due to Eric's decision to pursue another relationship. Alice tragically passed away from a heroin overdose in 1995 at the age of 42, but remained close with Eric's family until her passing.
© Getty ImagesPattie Boyd
English model and photographer Pattie Boyd, now 81, was married to Beatles member George Harrison when she caught Eric's eye. He quickly developed strong feelings for her despite her marriage and his collaborations with George.
In 1977, after both had admitted to several affairs, she and George were divorced, and she married Eric in 1979. However, their relationship quickly began to sour, due in part to both their struggles with alcoholism and the "Layla" singer's sexual abuse.
Eric carried out numerous affairs during his marriage, complicated by the couple's attempts to have children through IVF resulting in several miscarriages. In 1987, she left him, and they were divorced in 1989. She met property developer Rod Weston in 1991, and they got married in 2015.
© Getty ImagesYvonne Kelly and Lory Del Santo
While Eric had several affairs during his marriage to Pattie, the two most notable were with Yvonne Kelly and Lory Del Santo. He met Yvonne, manager of AIR Studios Montserrat, in 1984 and they began a relationship, despite both being married at the time.
They welcomed a daughter named Ruth in 1985, whose existence was kept from the public until 1991. Soon after, Eric began an affair with Italian model and actress Lory Del Santo, resulting in the birth of their son Conor in 1986.
Conor tragically passed away in 1991 after falling from a Manhattan apartment building. It was his affair with Lory that drove Pattie to file for divorce.
© Getty ImagesMelia McEnery
In 1998, at a party in Columbus, Ohio, a then 53-year-old Eric met administrative assistant Melia McEnery, who was just 22. They struck up a romance and privately dated for a year before going public.
They shared their relationship with the world in 1999 and finally tied the knot in 2002 in Surrey, with Eric stating in several interviews since that Melia is the first of his partners he has remained completely faithful to.
Eric and Melia have welcomed three daughters together: Julie, now 23, Ella, now 22, and Sophie, now 20, all of whom live in either the United Kingdom or the United States and are close with their parents and half sister Ruth.
