(CelebrityAccess) — Robert “Bobby” Whitlock, the Memphis-born musician who co-founded Derek and the Dominos with Eric Clapton and later became a sought-after session player, died August 10 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 77.
His manager told Variety that Whitlock died after a brief battle with cancer.
Clapton acknowledged Whitlock’s passing, paying tribute to his former bandmate on social media:
“Our dear friend Bobby Whitlock has passed away at 77. Our sincere condolences to Bobby’s wife, CoCo, and his family on this sad day… RIP Bobby xxx.”
A Memphis native, Whitlock learned to play the organ and began his career with soul and blues artists in the city, including Albert King, Sam & Dave, and Booker T. & the MG’s.
In 1969, he relocated to Los Angeles to join a soul-revue band being assembled by Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, contributing keyboards to their first two albums.
During his tenure with Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, Whitlock met Eric Clapton and soon joined the founding lineup of Derek and the Dominos. He toured and recorded with the group, earning co-writing credits on songs such as “Bell Bottom Blues” and “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?”
In 1972, Whitlock launched a solo career, starting with his self-titled album Bobby Whitlock, which drew praise from critics but failed to gain significant commercial traction. His follow-up, Raw Velvet, released in November 1972, reached No. 190 on the Billboard 200 but would be his last album to chart, leading him to take a decades-long hiatus from the music industry.
“I had my own problems to deal with,” Whitlock told Mojo’s Harry Shapiro in 2001.
Whitlock returned to music in 1999, recording a new album featuring contributions from artists such as Steve Cropper. The following year, he reunited with Eric Clapton to perform on BBC’s Later… with Jools Holland.
His later collaborations included work with CoCo Carmel — whom he married in 2005 — as well as Buddy Guy, David Grissom, and Willie Nelson, among others.
