The dizzying bedhopping and entangled romantic liaisons that were standard for rock stars are brought into focus as Pattie Boyd sells heartfelt and revealing letters from Eric Clapton who pursued her while she was married to Beatle George Harrison. Despite being obsessed and desperately in love with Pattie, Clapton was dating her sister Paula while ostensibly in a relationship with aristocrat Alice Ormsby-Gore.
Pattie eventually split from Harrison after reportedly finding him in bed with bandmate Ringo Starr’s then-wife Maureen. Before going on to marry Clapton she had a fling with Rolling Stone Ronnie Woods whose first wife, Krissy Findlay, had dated Clapton, married Wood, then had an affair with Harrison.
She stayed married to Clapton for 10 years until his infidelity broke them up as his mistress got pregnant. All too exhausting. Though both Boyd and Clapton are now seemingly in long term established relationships with other partners since 1991 and 1998 respectively.
Pattie Boyd was born 17 March 1944 4am Taunton, England and became a model and photographer. She inspired Harrison’s songs “I Need You”, “If I Needed Someone”, “Something” and “For You Blue”, and Clapton’s songs “Layla”, “Bell Bottom Blues” and “Wonderful Tonight”.
She has a 3rd house Sun Mercury in creative Pisces, a sign suited to photography, at home with images rather than words. Her Pisces Sun Mercury is square a troubled and angry Mars Saturn in Gemini hinting at a tough childhood with divorced parents. Most noticeably she had a powerful and confident Jupiter Pluto in Leo in her 8th, perhaps a hint of why she attracted successful men.
She was probably better suited to Harrison, 24 February 1943 11.42pm Liverpool, for all his infidelity since his Jupiter in Cancer fell in her 7th and his Venus in Pisces was conjunct her Sun. His Pisces Sun was conjunct her Venus. But his erratic, unpredictable Saturn Uranus in the 8th square a fun-loving Pisces Sun in his 5th would not make for a settled emotional life.
Clapton, 30 March 1945 8.45pm Ripley, England, also has Uranus in his 8th for a changeable emotional life and erratic temperament, especially since it forms a volatile square to his 5th house Mars. His hard-working Aries Sun in his 6th opposes Neptune and forms a talented Half Grand Sextile to Uranus and an influential/controlling 10th house Pluto. His marriage to Boyd was marred by his infidelities and domestic violence. In a 1999 interview with The Sunday Times, he admitted to raping and abusing her while they were married and he was a “full-blown” alcoholic who felt entitled to sex.
Both Harrison and Claton had intense Scorpio Moons and both had dominating Pluto in their 10th. In both relationship charts there were Mars Pluto combinations, leading to anger issues and resentment.
It is interesting that all three have 8th house planets emphasizing Martin Mortiz’s point –
“The eighth house is associated with entanglements, power games, boundary crossings, or dealing with taboos.”
And despite it all she was bemoaning recently that there are no ”’proper men’ around nowadays. She clearly liked it rough and stormy.
Need some kind of graph or spreadsheet to keep up with all these interchangeable relationships! Just like the many stories and scandals about old-school aristocracy really, or earlier Hollywood stars, artists, authors and so on. I thought of heavy-drinking Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, or Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra – the ‘tempestuous’ relationships, the enduring ties that bound them, even when they had separated, the drama. Ava Gardner’s love life really was very “vibrant” – Mars conjunct Uranus in Pisces trine Pluto in Cancer seems pretty intense, and might account for some of it. Is this where the draconic charts might offer enlightenment?
Love is such a mystery sometimes. I think the Ancient Greeks were right to name all those different kinds. And I’ve noticed how some relationships can continue to be present in someone’s life, even when the couple parted officially long ago. The connection lives on, almost on its own timescale and in its own reality.
Meanwhile, good luck to Patti B. She inspired all those mega-hits, and experienced all that abusive chaos. Some cash and a way of setting part of the past free seems like a good idea to me.
@ tara : “If the money makes her life easier and more comfortable now after those years of abuse, good luck to her.” Quite, especially as neither man gave her anything, despite earning glory and cash from their relationships with her. So much so, that after she published her ‘memoir’, Eric finally gave her the house she was living in. He hadn’t realised that he never had and it was still in his name. Olivia Harrison also published a book, which I didn’t read, but exposed the constant, humiliating infidelities George subjected her to. At least she got the cash. And a child.
Sorry, this was an add on to tara.
Who in their right mind would want to be a Muse? I felt similarly about poor Marianne Ihlen, even though I love Leonard Cohen’s music.
There is a story that the two men both quite high on whatever they had been taking, decided to have a duel whilst playing their guitars. The music being the weapons.
There is a story that the two men both quite high on whatever they had been taking, decided to have a duel whilst playing their guitars. The music being the weapons.
I think Pattie was the prize.
Another aspect was Patti cannot have children. I think this affected her relationship with Harrison. Sadly. As to Eric , said he adored her than raped and abused her.
Non astrological reflection.
Growing up I thought Harrison and Clapton were from a musical Olympus.
The problem with having heroes is that it never occurs to you that they are just human beings and in the arts usually beset by their own demons.
What kind of a reputation do these two have nowadays? There is an interesting dissenting voice on Clepton on Wikipedia.
She’s got 7 mutable planets but none of it in Virgo – so no discrimination. Uranus and then Pluto would have been transiting over the empty leg of her t-square and hitting her Neptune in Libra.
I read one of Clapton’s love letters to her yesterday. My word, you can see why a woman (especially one with so much Pisces) would want to be ‘possessed’ by a man so ardent/vulnerable/woeful in his proclamation of love his feelings to her.
Clapton’s chart itself has the Scorpio moon on ascendant and Aries mercury/Taurus Venus on the descendant making him no respecter of her marriage because he wanted her.
Interesting that Pattie has decided now is the time to sell the love letters with transiting Saturn having been all over her Pisces Neptune last year. Perhaps a realisation that it’s time to cut ties with that part of her past. Think she was quoted as saying she might as well sell them (with Clapton’s permission) and get some cash (very saturn-venus). Albeit the Pisces in her still couldn’t be entirely straight saying it was so someone else could enjoy them!!
Oops – didn’t finish that 1st para. Uranus and then Pluto transiting there in late 60s/early 70s when it was all starting for her.
And then onto Clapton’s Aries Sun/Libra Neptune
Well, she is about to turn 80 so probably thought she might as well, as someone else probably will when she is gone anyway. My father is the same age and is coming out with a lot of stuff like that too. Every time I go round there he’s giving me piles of stuff.
If the money makes her life easier and more comfortable now after those years of abuse, good luck to her.
What a horrific story for her. She seems to have been on the bad end of this.
And she is sending mixed messages: at one point she is referring to letters as painful and beautiful, but is then saying that she thinks Eric just wanted what George had.
What is it going to be?