Bobby Whitlock, co-founder of Derek & the Dominos, passed away at age 77.
His ‘heartbroken’ manager, Carole Kaye, confirmed the devastating news that he died at home in Texas at 1:20 a.m., following a brief bout with cancer, to Variety.
The legendary rock icon, whose fingerprints are all over three of rock’s most celebrated albums — Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, All Things Must Pass, and Exile on Main Street — was surrounded by loved ones as he took his last breath.
In a statement to TMZ, his wife CoCo Carmel Whitlock said: ‘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?’
‘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,’ she continued. ‘I feel his hands that were so intensely expressive and warm on my face and the small of my back whenever I close my eyes, he is there,’ she continued.
The couple wed on Christmas Eve in 2005 in Nashville, Tennessee, one year before making the move to Austin, Texas.
Bobby Whitlock, co-founder of Derek & the Dominos, passed away at age 77 (pictured in 1975)
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Whitlock’s musical journey began early.
As a teenager, he recorded with legends like Sam & Dave and Booker T. & the M.G.’s, and broke barriers as the first white artist signed to the storied Stax Records.
His big break came in 1969, when he played on Accept No Substitute with Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett before joining their renowned touring group, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends.
It was during that period that Whitlock forged pivotal connections with Eric Clapton and George Harrison, both of whom joined the Friends on the road.
Those relationships would lead to Whitlock and Clapton contributing to Harrison’s monumental 1970 album All Things Must Pass and to the formation of Derek and the Dominos.
With Carl Radle and Jim Gordon, the group recorded Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, a record that would become a cornerstone of rock history.
Whitlock co-wrote half the album’s tracks, including enduring classics Tell the Truth and Bell Bottom Blues.
After Derek and the Dominos disbanded in 1971, Whitlock embarked on a solo career, releasing two albums of his own and lending his talents, often without credit, to other landmark projects, including The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street.
His ‘heartbroken’ manager, Carole Kaye, confirmed the devastating news that he died at home in Texas at 1:20 a.m., following a brief illness, to TMZ; seen with Eric Clapton Jim Gordon and Carl Radle
The legendary rock icon, whose fingerprints are all over three of rock’s most celebrated albums, was surrounded by loved ones as he took his last breath; seen in 2000
He also collaborated with artists such as Dr. John and Manassas.
In 2024, his hometown honored him with induction into Memphis’ Beale Street Walk of Fame.
In later years, Whitlock continued to record and tour, often alongside his wife and musical partner.
He is survived by his wife, his sister Debbie Wade, and his children Ashley Brown, Beau Whitlock, and Tim Whitlock Kelly.
