Conor’s mother, Lory del Santo of Italy, was overjoyed. But, just as the two were falling in love and creating that unbreakable mother-son relationship, everything shattered in the most devastating way conceivable.
This tale may be familiar to some of you, yet it never ceases to make me cry.
Lory del Santo met a lovely Englishman in 1985. They were instantly attracted to one other and began dating. He turned out to be a famous musician at the pinnacle of his profession.
Lory found out she was expecting a few months later. She was ecstatic and thought her partner would be as well.
She broke the news to him with complete certainty that they would have a future together. His reply, however, is not what she anticipated. He informed her he wasn’t ready for children or to be a parent, and the two separated up. He wanted time to get his own life in order first.
Things changed after some time apart. He thought he was ready and went back to Lory. By the time Conor was born in August 1986, they were back together.
Following Conor’s birth, happy times ensue. The family lives blissfully in the English countryside and has had an amazing existence. For a while.
After some time, he recognizes he needs to make a change in his life and checks himself into a rehabilitation clinic.
Lory and the father decided to take a break but keep in touch. Lory and Conor relocate to Italy, where the father pays them visits on occasion.
Conor is a joyful and energetic youngster who enjoys listening to his father’s music.
On March 19, 1991, the father believed it’s time to make a significant shift in his life. It was a particularly special day: Dad had decided that he and Conor would spend their first complete father-son day together. They went to visit the circus in New York and had a great time.
To spend as much time as possible with his kid, the dad planned to take him to the zoo the next day. Conor couldn’t sleep the night before because he was so eager.
Conor and his mom were living in a tower in New York at the time. Conor was playing hide and seek about the apartment with his nanny the morning after the circus trip, waiting for his dad to pick him up.
Meanwhile, a caregiver was washing the enormous glass windows of the residence. The apartment featured a number of large windows, but they were always kept shut for security reasons. Nevertheless, one of the windows was open that day as the window cleaner worked.
Conor did the unthinkable as he sought to hide from his nanny: he raced straight towards the open window. He assumed the glass was closed, as it normally was, and prepared to hide behind the curtain.
Tragedy followed its terrible path. Conor fell 49 stories and landed on an adjacent building. When Lory heard the babysitter’s screams, she dashed into the living room, but it was too late. When she understood what had occurred, she burst into tears. The father came minutes later… to pick up his son. But Conor had passed away.
Eric Clapton, the artist/guitarist, is the father in this narrative. He tried to cope with his loss by penning a song, which you may have previously heard…
