Bobby Whitlock, Derek and the Dominos keyboardist, dies at 77

Bobby Whitlock, co-founder of blues rock band Derek and the Dominos, died Sunday at the age of 77.

Carol Kaye, the late music icon's singer, confirmed his death as he was battling cancer, while his passing away took place at his home in Texas, surrounded by his loved ones.

His wife, Coco Carmel Whitlock, in a statement to TMZ, 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."

"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 added.

Bobby, who was born in Memphis in 1948, started his career in the city's soul acts as he worked with artists such as Sam & Dave and Booker T. & the M.G.’s.

But when the father-of-three co-founded Derek and the Dominos with Eric Clapton, they belted out several hit albums, including Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.

Apart from music, the late keyboardist was also interested in the arts, as indicated by his website, which states that he started painting in 2018.

“Being a very creative soul, Bobby can’t help finding new ways of expressing himself,” the description read. 

“He called his art ‘Emotional Abstract’ without realizing that there was such a thing, and found that he was in good company," it concluded.