![NEW YORK Oct 12, 2005 — The memoirs of Eric Clapton, a tell-all story that has been one of the most sought manuscripts in publishing, will be released by Doubleday in 2007.]( "NEW YORK Oct 12, 2005 — The memoirs of Eric Clapton, a tell-all story that has been one of the most sought manuscripts in publishing, will be released by Doubleday in 2007.")
NEW YORK Oct 12, 2005 — The memoirs of Eric Clapton, a tell-all story that has been one of the most sought manuscripts in publishing, will be released by Doubleday in 2007.
Financial terms were not disclosed, although Clapton was widely believed to be seeking a multimillion-dollar contract and numerous publishers were interested.
"In an age where there are so few real stars, it is a thrill to be publishing the autobiography of a truly iconic figure whose life story will be of interest to millions of people around the world," Stephen Rubin, president and publisher of Doubleday, said Wednesday in a statement.
Clapton, 60, has had one of the most dramatic lives and careers in rock history, from the quick-fingered playing that inspired the graffiti "Clapton Is God," to his heroin addiction to his tortured romance with Patti Harrison, wife of Clapton's best friend, Beatle George Harrison.
His affair with Harrison, whom he later married and divorced, inspired the classic "Layla." His other songs include "Wonderful Tonight," "Lay Down Sally" and "Tears in Heaven," the Grammy-winning ballad inspired by the death in 1991 of his young son, Conor, who fell from the window of a New York skyscraper.
According to Doubleday, Clapton "will write frankly about every aspect of his personal and musical odyssey, addressing everything that is known about his life as well as much that is not."
The book, currently untitled, will be timed to a North American concert tour and to the release of a boxed set retrospective of Clapton's music.
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CLAPTON SELLS AUTOBIOGRAPHY FOR $6.4 MILLION
Rock legend ERIC CLAPTON has sold his autobiography to Random House publishers for $6.4 million (GBP3.5 million).
The deal with the book firm's subsidiary, Century, is the result of a bidding war for the international rights to the musician's eventful life story.
The book - due for release in 2007 - will tell of Clapton's career in CREAM, his drink and drug problems and the tragic death of his four year old son CONNOR in 1992.
Random House managing director RICHARD CABLE says, "Eric is a rock legend. His story encompasses genius, fame, tragedy and triumph over adversity."
