1991 Hit Ranked the 'Saddest Song' of All Time Was Inspired by Family Tragedy

March 20, 1991, was a horrific day for one of rock music's most famous artists, Eric Clapton.

His son, Conor, was 4-years old and staying at a New York condominium with his mother, the Italian actress Lory Del Santo. Then, tragedy struck, and Clapton poured the resulting emotional pain into a ballad that is now ranked the "saddest song" in history.

That song is called "Tears in Heaven," and it landed at the top of a recent top 10 list of the saddest songs of all time. The lyrics start with the heartbreaking lines...