Love songs are everywhere in classic rock, but some of the biggest hits weren’t written about some mystery muse. They were written for one very specific woman. In many cases, the relationship was intense, messy, romantic, or all three. These rock love songs came straight from real-life relationships, which may explain why they still hit decades later.
Rock Love Songs Inspired by Specific Women
“Sweet Child O’ Mine” – Guns N’ Roses
Axl Rose wrote this power ballad for his then-girlfriend Erin Everly. What started as a warm-up guitar riff from Slash turned into one of the biggest love songs of the ’80s. The lyrics were pulled directly from a poem Axl wrote about Erin. Their relationship didn’t last, but the song became a timeless arena anthem.
“Beth” – KISS
This softer side of KISS was originally inspired by a woman named Beck (Rebecca). Beck was the wife of one of Peter Criss’ bandmates when he was in Chelsea (pre-KISS). The name was later changed to “Beth,” but the theme remained the same: a musician apologizing for being gone too much. It’s one of the most unlikely love songs in hard rock history and one of KISS’s biggest hits.
“Oh Sherrie” – Steve Perry
Steve Perry wrote this hit for his girlfriend Sherrie Swafford. Unlike many love songs, he didn’t even change the name. The relationship inspired one of the biggest solo hits of his career, and Sherrie even appeared in the music video. The actual song doesn’t start until 2 minutes into the video, but the whole video is an amazing ’80s MTV time capsule.
“The Wind Cries Mary” – Jimi Hendrix
Ah, the mashed potato story. Jimi Hendrix wrote this rock love song after a fight with his girlfriend, Kathy Mary Etchingham. Hendrix and Mary got into a fight over her cooking. She threw pots and pans, stormed out, and when she returned home a couple of days later, Hendrix had written this song for her. Hendrix did not write a lot of songs with a soft side, making this song even more of a standout.
“Layla” – Derek and the Dominos
The song was written by Clapton about his massive obsession with Pattie Boyd, George Harrison’s wife at the time. Although Clapton and Harrison were very good friends, Clapton had an affair with Boyd… After George told Clapton, “take her,” he did. The two married, and George attended the wedding. Claton also wrote “Wonderful Tonight” about Boyd. Additionally, Harrison wrote “Something” about her. That’s quite the claim to fame!
Rock love songs often feel bigger than life, but the best ones usually start small. One person, one relationship, and one emotional moment is all it takes. Whether the romance lasted or crashed and burned, these classic love songs turned private stories into rock history.
Donielle Flynn has two kids, two cats, two dogs, and a love of all things rock. She’s been in radio decades and held down top-rated day parts at Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington DC radio stations throughout her tenure. She enjoys writing about rock news, the Detroit community, and she has a series called “The Story Behind” where she researches the history of classic rock songs.
One of Eric Clapton’s most romantic songs is “Wonderful Tonight.” Written in 1976 for Pattie Boyd, it was a track that didn’t come from a grand romantic gesture but from a quiet domestic moment: Clapton waiting for his girlfriend to get ready for a night out.
That ordinary evening became the foundation for one of rock’s most enduring love songs. The song continues to serve as a personal love letter and a soundtrack for some of life’s most romantic moments. Many couples choose the song for their wedding dance, but beneath the intimate lyrics lies a story of love, friendship, tension, and heartbreak.
Here, we look into the backstory of this iconic song and its impact over the years.
The Romantic Moment That Inspired a Classic
The origins of “Wonderful Tonight” trace back to Sept. 7, 1976. Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd were preparing to attend the first Buddy Holly Week, a tribute organized by Paul McCartney in London.
Boyd was upstairs fretting over her hair and clothes, expecting Clapton to become impatient. Instead, he strummed his guitar and called out, “Listen to this!” What he’d just done was write “Wonderful Tonight.”
What began as a simple domestic exchange with Boyd’s indecision over outfits and Clapton’s patient observation became a song distilling love into its simplest form. That private moment at home evolved into one of Clapton’s most treasured ballads, still played at weddings nearly 50 years later.
The Person Behind This Iconic Love Song
If you’re looking to understand the deeper meaning behind “Wonderful Tonight,” you first must understand who Pattie Boyd represented at the time the song was written. Born in 1944, Boyd initially rose to fame as a model in the 1960s. She became a fixture in London’s vibrant music scene when she married George Harrison of The Beatles in 1966. She inspired several hit songs, including “Something” and “For You Blue.”
When her marriage to Harrison ended in the mid-1970s, she began a new romance with Clapton. She influenced a few of his songs as well, such as “Layla,” “Bell Bottom Blues,” and “Forever Man.” Many years later, when asked about her experience of being immortalized in song, she said that at the time, she mostly worried about Harrison recognizing her as the songs’ inspiration, as it was a complex time in her life.
Behind the Recording and Musical Elements of “Wonderful Tonight”
Clapton recorded “Wonderful Tonight” in May 1977 at Olympic Studios in London. It featured on his album Slowhand, alongside hits such as “Cocaine” and “Lay Down Sally.” Clapton sang and played lead guitar, accompanied by George Terry on rhythm guitar, Dick Sims on keyboard, Carl Radle on bass, and Jamie Oldaker on drums.
Backing vocals from Marcella Detroit and Yvonne Elliman added warmth to the song, adding another layer to its complexity. Slowhand peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and went triple-platinum, cementing Clapton’s solo stardom.
For Clapton, who was recovering from a previous underperforming record, “Wonderful Tonight” was a key turning point. It showcased his romantic side, a softer part of his music that was well received by listeners.
How the Song Rose on the Charts
Despite its fame, “Wonderful Tonight” had an uneven chart journey. In the U.S., it reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978 and hit No. 15 in Canada, No. 3 in France, and No. 26 in New Zealand. In the U.K., however, it made little impact, initially failing to enter the top 75.
Even its 1991 live re-release peaked at No. 30. Ironically, the most successful U.K. version of the song came from the 1997 cover by the R&B group Damage, which reached No. 3. “Wonderful Tonight” demonstrated that cultural impact could outweigh chart performance, since it has become one of Clapton’s most beloved tracks around the world.
From Love Song to Wedding Standard
However, no wedding that played “Wonderful Tonight” can beat its appearance at Clapton and Boyd’s wedding in 1979, where Clapton serenaded her live. Today, it’s still a key feature in wedding playlists worldwide, bringing warmth and romance to dance floors everywhere.
The Irony Behind the Wedding Anthem
There is a sad irony behind the track. Clapton and Boyd’s marriage, immortalized in the song, ended after less than a decade due to the strain of alcoholism and other personal struggles and circumstances that took their toll.
Clapton has openly admitted to his violent behavior and depression during the 1980s, describing a home life where those around him would often walk on eggshells. For Boyd, the divorce marked the end of a chapter in which her identity was often overshadowed by the men she loved. The tension at the time is what adds so much depth to the song, with its power not necessarily lying in tenderness and love, but also in moments that can be fleeting.
A Simple Moment That Became Iconic
Almost 50 years later, “Wonderful Tonight” is still a paradoxical masterpiece. Written out of boredom while waiting for a girlfriend, the track now features prominently on wedding soundtracks, at proms, and during anniversaries.
Despite its modest chart history, “Wonderful Tonight” represents a complex backstory and a sense of emotion that places it at the top of Eric Clapton’s most famous songs. The love song has become a timeless anthem, leaving us with a reminder that love’s beauty often lies in ordinary moments.
The history of rock and roll is populated with any number of “unsung heroes,” musicians who made significant contributions to the art form but received little credit or recognition. One such individual is Johnnie Johnson. Which is why those in the know are excited about the recent release of I’m Just Johnnie, a collection of songs recorded over 20 years ago which have been gathering dust in a closet near St. Louis.
Johnson was Chuck Berry’s piano player during the ‘50s, when songs like “Johnny B. Goode,” “Maybellene” and “Roll Over Beethoven” were blasting out of transistor radios. While Berry commanded the stage, duckwalking and strutting while playing some really wild guitar, Johnson sat in the background, providing a solid musical foundation for songs that described a life full of cute girls, snazzy cars and fuse-blowing juke boxes in postwar America.
Not only did Johnson anchor Berry’s band, but it is argued that he contributed mightily to Berry’s revolutionary musical approach that codified much of the rock and roll that came after it. Some (including Chuck Berry scholar Keith Richards) believe that many of Berry’s signature guitar riffs were actually adapted from Johnson’s piano figures. Johnson brought a lawsuit against Berry in 2000, claiming that he was due a cowriter’s credit on over 50 songs. A judge, however, dismissed the case, ruling that too much time had passed since the original copyrights were filed under Berry’s name alone.
After splitting with Berry in 1973, Johnson played with blues legend Albert King while also performing periodic solo gigs. Eric Clapton and Richards championed Johnson in his later years, hiring him for various musical projects and contributing to his most noteworthy solo release, Johnnie B. Bad, in 1991. Johnson continued to live in his longtime home of St. Louis until his passing in 2005.
But, thanks to St. Louis musician Gene Ackmann, the Johnnie Johnson story doesn’t end there. Ackmann met Johnson in 1979, when the latter was playing at a small blues club. The two musicians stayed in touch, with Johnson occasionally playing with Ackmann’s band, notably at St. Louis sporting events, including the Cardinals’ baseball home openers and a parade in 2000 celebrating the Rams’ Super Bowl victory.
“I was – and still am – a huge fan of Johnnie’s,” says Ackmann, speaking from his home near St. Louis. “Initially, I sought him out because I was a big fan of Chuck Berry, and then I started digging in and realized everything Johnnie was doing on [those records].
“He would play at these little blues clubs, so I would go out and listen to him. But he also played at this place – it was called the Lemp Mansion – on Sunday nights, and he had a little trio with an upright bass and drums, and he was playing Great American Songbook type stuff. He was playing ‘Sunny Side of the Street,’ ‘Canadian Sunset,’ ‘Misty’ and stuff.”
After Johnson began to sit in with Ackmann’s band, their friendship truly blossomed when the two discovered that they had not only a love of music in common but also one of fishing. “We were bumming around, he was coming out and playing with my band, and somehow or another I mentioned that I had a lake at my house and that I liked to fish. And Johnnie was so excited to know that. He said, ‘I want to come out and go fishing sometime.’ “Johnnie lived about an hour and a half away from me, down by the Arch in St. Louis. So I would drive down early in the morning and pick him up, drive back out to my house, and we would fish all day. It was making his day, so it was making my day. It was like getting to spend the day with your grandfather again. I would have done anything for Johnnie.” One day, after another fishing outing, Johnson told Ackmann that he would like to record an album and wondered if Ackmann could produce it. Ackmann quickly assembled a group of local musicians, along with guest stars like Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Hornsby, Johnny Rivers and John Sebastian.
“I just wanted to put something together that would be really good and represent what Johnnie did,” Ackmann says. “I used some of the guys in my band, and then we used some of the guys who had played with Johnnie for a long time. We wrote some songs, and we did some cover songs.” Work took place primarily in the music room at Ackmann’s house. “Most of what Johnnie and I did, when we put all the arrangements together, was done during rain delays from fishing.”
Johnson died not long after the album was completed, and this development made it difficult for Ackmann to find a company willing to release the record. So the master tapes sat in a closet at Ackmann’s house. “Then, about a year and a half ago, which would have been Johnnie’s 100th birthday, I was out cutting the grass or something, and I thought, “I need to dig back into this thing and see if we can’t get something going,’” Ackmann recalls. After a bit of studio tinkering, Ackmann assembled a collection of songs that included five Johnson vocals, five songs with guest artists and two instrumentals. The music business had changed markedly since the original recordings were made, leading Ackmann to head in a different direction with regard to the release of the album. “I said, ‘You know what? I’m just going to do my own thing. Because I don’t want to give the master tapes to everybody. I don’t want to do all that. I’ll just do it myself.’” Hence the release of I’m Just Johnnie on Ackmann’s Missouri Morning Records.
According to Ackmann, Johnson maintained a positive attitude throughout his life, despite an initial lack of credit and later periods when he wasn’t working much. “He was incredibly humble and gentle and just a joy to be around. He could have been a little bit bitter. Could have been. But he was not. He was not. Because as time went on, after [the Chuck Berry documentary] Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll, people discovered him, and he started working more. He got better gigs. He got an agent. He started playing better places. And all of a sudden, Johnnie rose to be an elder statesman of the blues.”
In music, a “sleeper hit” is a song that didn’t see initial success when it was released but gained recognition later on. Many of these sleeper hits got enormous boosts in popularity from inclusion in movies, TV shows, commercials, or (more recently) TikTok trends.
This isn’t the first time a song has gotten its flowers late, though. Sometimes it just takes a while for a song to truly pop off! Join us as we look at 12 sleeper hits that only gained popularity years on from their initial drop.
Songs that Became Hits Years After Release
“Cruel Summer” – Taylor Swift
Let’s be honest: The runaway success of “Cruel Summer” should have happened back in 2019. The absolute banger was initially passed over for a single release as it felt inappropriate for the pandemic, and the song missed greater exposure when said pandemic forced the cancelation of Taylor’s Lover Fest, too.
Since then, “Cruel Summer” gained some popularity after appearing in Prime’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, but it’s only now getting the appreciation it deserves. As the opener for Taylor’s 44-song set on her Eras Tour, “Cruel Summer” is fresh in everyone’s minds — as it rightly should be.
“Here I Go Again” – Whitesnake
Spinning off from Deep Purple, Whitesnake may not have reached the same heights as the original band, but they did give us this iconic tune. “Here I Go Again” initially featured on 1982’s Saints’ N’ Sinners but wasn’t released as a single.
In keeping with the song’s themes and “hanging on the promises of yesterday,” Whitesnake re-recorded it in 1987 for their self-titled album. “Here I Go Again” also received a radio mix version on that same album, which removed the keyboard intro. This version eventually reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Third time’s the charm, as they say!
“Layla” – Derek and the Dominos
“Layla” initially flopped due to lack of promotion. Assuming people would know that legendary guitarist Eric Clapton was in Derek and the Dominos, Polydor did little to promote Layla and Other Love Songs in 1970. The album underperformed, and “Layla” only reached No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Two years later, Derek and the Dominos re-recorded “Layla” for The History Of Eric Clapton compilation album — finally adding the iconic outro. This version allowed the song to finally receive the recognition it deserved, jumping up to No. 10.
“Running Up That Hill” – Kate Bush
One of Kate Bush’s most well-known songs, “Running Up That Hill” had a massive resurgence 37 years after its release. The song played during a pivotal moment in the fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things — when Maxine attempts to escape from Vecna — and “Running Up That Hill” started running up the charts.
Reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Global 200 and No. 4 on the Hot 100, the song proved even more popular nearly four decades later. The delayed success even surprised Kate Bush herself.
Honorable mention goes to Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” which also gained a considerable following after being featured in the same show. To quote Eddie Munson, “This IS music!”
“Long, Long Time” – Linda Ronstadt
Like the viral success of “Running Up That Hill,” Linda Ronstadt’s 1970 song “Long, Long Time” found a whole new audience after its inclusion in HBO’s The Last of Us. Bill and Frank, played by Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, perform the song together in a heartachingly tender moment. The episode then ended with Linda Ronstadt’s original.
After it aired, US streams of “Long, Long Time” jumped 4900%, introducing the song to a new generation. It may have taken a “Long, Long Time” but this sleeper hit was worth the wait!
“Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)” – Irma Thomas
Upon release in 1964, this Jeannie Seely and Randy Newman-penned song barely made a splash. It faded so far into obscurity that even Newman forgot it existed. That all changed after its inclusion in Netflix’s Black Mirror.
While each episode of Black Mirror is mostly self-contained, “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)” is one of the few recurring elements. The song appeared regularly since its appearance in the first season’s “Fifteen Million Merits” episode, becoming synonymous with the series and finding renewed success amongst Black Mirror‘s loyal fans.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen
There’s no denying the immense success of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” one of the greatest songs ever written. So why is it on this list? Because it managed to break back into the charts not once, but three times!
The legendary track first reached No. 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. In 1992, one year after Freddie Mercury’s death, it re-entered the charts after its iconic appearance in Wayne’s World. That time, it peaked at No. 2. Then, it broke into the charts again following the 2018 release of Bohemian Rhapsody, the Freddie Mercury biopic, proving that some songs will always be loved.
“Mary On A Cross” – Ghost
Anyone who knows metal knows Ghost. Their unique blend of arena rock and heavy metal made them one of the most exciting acts of the 21st century. However, it’s thanks to the viral success of “Mary on a Cross” that Ghost broke into the mainstream.
Released as half of 2019’s single-come-EP Seven Inches of Satanic Panic, a slowed-down version of this sleeper hit blew up on TikTok. After its use in nearly half a million videos to date, “Mary on a Cross” became the band’s first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 90. It also led the band to drop an official “Slowed + Reverb” version.
“Makeba” – Jain
You may not know the name, but chances are you know the anthem. “Makeba” has been all over TikTok this year, often accompanied by clips from Saturday Night Live of Bill Hader dancing. The truth is, though, “Makeba” has a long history.
Jain originally released the song in 2015 as a tribute to South African singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist Miriam Makeba. Its 2016 music video received a GRAMMY nomination, and Levi’s featured the song in a popular 2017 commercial. “Makeba” continues to grow in strength online, even eight years after release.
“I Love You So” – The Walters
Can a song become so popular in its resurgence that it brings the original band back together? Well, that’s what happened with The Walters after their song “I Love You So” went viral on TikTok.
When the song dropped in 2014, it achieved mild indie success for The Walters. After two EPs, the band called it quits three years later. However, since appearing on TikTok in late 2021, “I Love You So” has been used in over 700,000 videos on the platform. It spent nine weeks on streaming charts that same year. The sleeper hit’s success led the band to reform in 2022 and release a new EP, unironically titled Try Again.
“Bloody Mary” – Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga has no shortage of certified bops to her name, but “Bloody Mary” from 2011’s Born This Way album largely escaped wider notice. Fighting for attention with other significant hits on the album like the title track, “Judas,” and “Edge of Glory,” it’s understandable why Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” wasn’t heavily promoted. Cue the release of Netflix’s Wednesday 11 years later.
Footage of the titular character’s “Goo Goo Muck” dance went viral on TikTok, but one user replaced the show’s actual song with a sped-up version of “Bloody Mary.” This video’s viral success and subsequent platform-wide dance trend led to the song gaining sleeper hit status.
In response, Gaga recorded her own version of the Wednesday dance and re-released the song. “Bloody Mary” eventually broke into Billboard’s Hot 100 in early 2023 so we can “dance, dance, dance” all we want!
“What I Like About You” – The Romantics
When “What I Like About You” was first released in 1980, it was far from a hit. Appearing on The Romantics’ self-titled debut album, the song only peaked at No. 85 on the charts.
However, “What I Like About You” finally became popular towards the end of the ’80s when it began appearing in TV commercials — chiefly for Budweiser. Since then, this sleeper hit has gained the recognition it deserves as an incredible song in its own right.
Whether it’s a sleeper hit or the latest groundbreaking track, you can hear them all and more on SiriusXM!
Musician Eric Clapton helped raise money at a fundraiser for fellow vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 2024 campaign for the Democratic presidential primary ticket on Monday.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer entertained Kennedy and donors at a private home in Los Angeles’ posh Brentwood neighborhood where tickets began at $3,300 and went up to $6,600 for some face time with Kennedy, according to TMZ.
After the event, RFK Jr.’s campaign said it had raised a combined $2.2 million for the Democratic long shot’s campaign and its independent PAC.
Kennedy, the son of assassinated presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Sr., celebrated Clapton as a figure of unity at the backyard concert.
In a statement on his website, he thanked The Yardbirds rocker “for bringing his musical artistry and rebellious spirit to my gathering.”
“Eric sings from the depths of the human condition,” he wrote. “If he sees in me the possibility of bringing unity to our country, it is only possible because artists like him invoke a buried faith in the limitless power of human beings to overcome any obstacle.”
Eric Clapton performed at a fundraiser for Democratic presidential primary candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday.
Team Kennedy, Kennedy24.com
Though neither Kennedy’s call for bipartisanship nor Clapton’s performance mentioned vaccines, both men are outspoken critics of coronavirus shots.
In 2020, Clapton collaborated with singer Van Morrison, another open vaccine skeptic, on the anti-lockdown song “Stand and Deliver,” in which they compared COVID safety protocols to slavery.
Kennedy has spent the last two decades peddling widely debunked disinformationabout vaccines, which he has claimed cause autism, allergies, cancer and other ailments in children.
The activist-turned-politician was banned from Instagram for spreading COVID misinformation in 2021, and this July, he called himself “the first person censored by the Biden administration” when Republicans invited him to testify before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
While Kennedy is polling far behind President Joe Biden in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, his numbers are not insignificant.
According to a HarrisX/Harris poll sponsored by the Harvard University Center for American Political Studies released last week, Kennedy trails Biden 15% to 60%.
Earlier this summer, American Values 2024, the political action committee arm of Kennedy’s campaign, reported raising $16 million in June and July.
Meanwhile, Biden raised $72 million for his reelection bid between his April campaign announcement and the end of the second fiscal quarter in June.
Pattie Boyd has lived many lives — as a photographer, model and even a muse for some of the most famous rock songs in the world. Now, she’s adding author to her list of accolades with her new book, “My Life in Pictures.”
Boyd became one of fashion’s first models to be recognized by name back in the 1960s.
“I loved it because I was a different person each time there was a shoot,” Boyd said about her modeling career. “I love dressing up. It’s such a sort of girly thing to do.”
Things changed in 1964 when she got a small acting role in the Beatles-led film “A Hard Day’s Night.” She said she panicked when her agent told her she got the part, but was reassured when all she had to say was one word: “Prisoners.”
It would end up changing her life.
“The end of filming, George [Harrison] asked me out and I said ‘no’ because I was seeing my boyfriend,” Boyd said. “That could’ve been it, but then, as luck would have it, or as fate would have it, a week later we were called to Twickenham Studios for one last shot with the Beatles. That’s when I dumped my boyfriend.”
George Harrison of the Beatles pictured with Pattie Boyd in 1966.
Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The dumped boyfriend was photographer Eric Swayne. One of his portraits is on the cover of Boyd’s book.
Boyd and Harrison would marry in January 1966. He wrote the song “Something” for her. Frank Sinatra called it the “greatest love song of the last 50 years.”
In the 1970s, with Eric Clapton, who would become her second husband, she inspired two more memorable love songs, “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight.”
Asked which was her favorite song written about her, Boyd replied, “I don’t know.” But she added, “The one that I understand, because I was there during the process, was ‘Wonderful Tonight.’ Because Eric [Clapton] wrote that as I was getting ready, and then I came downstairs thinking he’s going to be so livid with me because I’ve taken so long.”
Eric Clapton pictured with Pattie Boyd in 1975.
Michael Putland/Getty Images
Instead, Clapton asked her to listen to the song that he wrote.
“Oh my God, I’m off the hook,” Boyd recalled thinking. “He’s written a song.”
Clapton wrote “Layla” while Boyd was still married to Harrison. She explained the song is based on a book by a 17th-century Persian poet.
“It was obviously a beautiful, beautiful love story,” she said. “Eric just fell in love with it and was sort of in love with me, but it was slightly unrequited.”
“My Life in Pictures,” though, isn’t just about her love life. She highlights her passion for photography and how she taught herself how to be behind a camera during a career spent in front of one.
She said once she earned enough money from modeling, she purchased her first camera — a Pentax. Boyd would bring it to photography studios and ask for help and advice.
Boyd first spoke with CBS News on CBS “Sunday Morning” when her personal memoir, “Wonderful Tonight,” was released in 2007. She showed off a selection of personal prints, many of which are included in her upcoming book.
“My Life in Pictures” includes a photograph of Harrison taken after their split. It would be the last one she took of him.
“But then he came to see me much later,” Boyd said. “Just before he died, six months or so before he died. As he drove off, I knew that would be the last time I’d see him.” Harrison died of cancer in 2001.
Reflecting on her life and the years she shared with Harrison and Clapton, she said, “I feel that I had the most wonderful and fabulous experience being married to the two unreservedly talented geniuses, really.”
Anthony Mason is senior culture and senior national correspondent for CBS News. He has been a frequent contributor to “CBS Sunday Morning,” and is the former co-host for “CBS This Morning: Saturday” and “CBS This Morning.”
