Eric Clapton Now 2023: Age, Birthday, Anti-Vax Stance Endangered His Career?

Happy Birthday, Eric Clapton! The famed guitarist is turning 78 this year.

Considered one of the best-selling musicians of all time, Clapton has made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as he was the only three-time inductee on the coveted Hall of Fame - once as himself, once as a member of Yardbirds, and once as a member of Cream.

Despite his worldwide prominence and greatness, Clapton's musical contributions seemed to be shunned by the controversy he has involved himself in.

Eric Clapton Biography

Born Eric Patrick Clapton in Ripley, Surrey, England, to her 16-year-old mother, Patricia Clapton, and his 25-year-old father, Edward Fryer, the musician grew up thinking that his grandmother and step-grandfather were his actual parents.

Growing up, he was exposed to art and music. Although he studied at the Kingston College of Art, he was expelled and focused on pursuing a career in music.

In 1963, he famously joined The Yardbirds and, two years later, the John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. A year after, he exited the band and joined Cream. Afterward, he joined plenty of bands but later on decided to have a solo music career.

He released a total of 21 studio albums, all of which have contributed to the reason why he was ranked second on the Rolling Stones list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Eric Clapton Age, Birthday

Eric Clapton was born Mar. 30, 1945. Today marks his 78th birthday!

READ ALSO: Eric Clapton Announces Five-Day Tour 2023: How to Get Tickets?

Eric Clapton US Tour 2023

According to The New York Post, Eric Clapton announced that he would have a short North American Tour.

Check out the dates below:

• Sep. 8, 2023, at the Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA
• Sept. 10, 2023, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, CA
• Sept. 12, 2023, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO
• Sept. 14, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN
• Sept. 16, 2023, at the Ball Arena in Denver, CO

Eric Clapton Anti-Vax Issue Explained

Despite his prominence and revered status in the music industry, Clapton's recent actions and stances on key issues have been egged on by many of his fans and critics. Most recently was his anti-vaccine stance during the 2020 global coronavirus pandemic.

In 2021, Clapton revealed in an interview that he had a bad ration to his second COVID-19 vaccine shot. Since then, he has repeated baseless and refuted claims that the vaccine affects one's fertility, despite being proven otherwise. He also supported claims that the United Kingdom government is brainwashing the public into getting the jabs. Clapton even released a song about it, "This Has Gotta Stop."

Since then, Rolling Stone has ranked Clapton's issue as No. 4 on the Worst Decisions in Music History.

READ ALSO: Ozzy Osbourne Avoided Eric Clapton Due to THIS 'Paranoid' Reason