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Eric Clapton’s opinion on Prince

Published on 04/15/2025

One of the most influential guitarists of all time, Eric Clapton entered Rock history for his work with The Yardbirds, John Mayall & The Blues Breakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and The Dominos and, of course, his incredible and successful solo career.

Over the decades he had the chance to see many amazing musicians play and see the evolution of music up-close. He talked about many of them, including the late Prince.

What is Eric Clapton’s opinion on Prince

Over the decades many incredible guitarists praised the late legendary Prince and Eric Clapton was one of them. Already in 1989, in an interview with BBC radio 4 he revealed which were the 8 albums or songs he would take to a desert island. One of his choices was “Purple Rain”, the most famous Prince album released in 1984.

“(That album) was a lifesaver for me. This is a record that I heard and it came from a movie which I saw at the time when I thought Rock and Roll was dead. I went to see ‘Purple Rain’ and I thought ‘Well, this is it, it’s a reincarnation of Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown in one’. I thought that’s exactly what the world needed. Very controversial figure but I loved him dearly and I think he is a genius musically,” Eric Clapton said.

As Clapton said, he went to see the movie Purple Rain in the cinema in 1984. That album was actually the soundtrack of the film, which starred Prince and shared the same name. The movie had a budget of about 7 million dollars and made over 70 million dollars at the box office. The album was Prince’s first to reach number one on the Billboard 200. It was for 24 consecutive weeks at the top of the American charts. Since then, it has sold an estimated 25 million copies worldwide.

Prince was really a huge inspiration for Eric Clapton

Prince sadly passed away too soon, tragically at the age of 57 after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl. He was one of the most prolific American artists of all time, having released 40 studio albums during his career.

When the news of the musician’s death was shared to the public in 2016, Clapton shared a special message. He once again recalled the impact of “Purple Rain” and called him a genius.

“I’m so sad about the death of Prince, he was a true genius, and a huge inspiration for me, in a very real way. In the the eighties, I was out on the road in a massive downward spiral with drink and drugs, I saw ‘Purple Rain’ in a cinema in Canada. I had no idea who he was, it was like a bolt of lightning! In the middle of my depression, and the dreadful state of the music culture at that time it gave me hope. He was like a light in the darkness. I went back to my hotel, and surrounded by empty beer cans, wrote Holy Mother. I can’t believe he’s gone,” Eric Clapton said.

Three years later, in 2019, Clapton paid tribute to Prince in concert performing “Purple Rain”. He played the track during the encores of two of his three shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall. During the three dates he played “Holy Mother”, the track he wrote right after he watched “Purple Rain” in the 80s.

Related Topics:articles, blues, CLASSIC ROCK, eric clapton, Featured, interviews, pop rock, prince

Rafael Polcaro

I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago. Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG