Rock Legend and Derek and the Dominos Co-Founder Dies at 77

Bobby Whitlock, legendary musician and co-founder of Derek and the Dominos, has died at the age of 77.

Whitlock passed away early Sunday at his home in Texas, surrounded by loved ones, after what his manager Carol Kaye described as a brief illness.

“How do you express in but a few words the grandness of one man who came from abject poverty in the South to heights unimagined in such a short time?” his wife, Coco Carmel Whitlock, told TMZ. “My love, Bobby, looked at life as an adventure, taking me by the hand, leading me through a world of wonderment from music to poetry and painting.”

Formed alongside Eric Clapton, bassist Carl Radle, and drummer Jim Gordon, Derek and the Dominos left their mark on the music world in the 1970s with the iconic hit “Layla.” Whitlock’s talents spanned far beyond his soulful vocals and skill on the keyboard and guitar — in recent years, he also became a prolific painter, creating more than 1,800 works since 2018.

Coco shared one of the sayings her husband lived by: “Life is what you make it, so take it and make it beautiful.”

The family is now working to launch a foundation in Whitlock’s honor, giving fans a way to contribute to his legacy.