Rocker Eric Clapton pays tribute to Prince in rendition of ‘Purple Rain’ at London concert

Musician Eric Clapton performs at The Forum on September 18, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Credit: Kevin Winter

Credit: Kevin Winter

Musician Eric Clapton performs at The Forum on September 18, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

During rock legend Eric Clapton's first night of a three-night gig at London's Albert Hall on Monday night, he paid tribute not only to "The Purple One," but also to Hollywood great Doris Day, who passed away Monday at her home in California at the age of 97.

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Clapton opened the show with a version of Day's famous classic "Que Será, Será," according to the music site JamBase.

The English rocker and only three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, closed out the performance with an encore performance of Prince’s hit song “Purple Rain,” with an extended version of the anthem and a guitar solo in the middle.

After Prince's death, Clapton revealed how much he had admired the iconic performer, calling him a "true genius" and a "huge inspiration for me."

He said Prince’s untimely death from an opioid overdose in 2016 saddened him.

(L-R) Guitarist Donna Grantis, recording artist Prince and bassist Ida Nielsen perform onstage during the 2013 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 19, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Credit: Ethan Miller

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Credit: Ethan Miller

"In the 80s, 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!" Clapton said in a Facebook post after Prince's death.
"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," he wrote.

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"I went back to my hotel, and surrounded by empty beer cans, wrote Holy Mother," he said. "I can't believe he's gone."

Clapton included the song “Holy Mother” on his 1986 album “August.”

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